UniteCT Van Brings Rent Relief Application Assistance to Neighborhoods

By Jahmal Henderson

As thousands of Connecticut renters face possible eviction coming out of the pandemic, and as working class landlords struggle to keep their homes and make mortgage payments, the urgency of an extended moratorium and rent and utility relief looms large.

As a result of the hard fought 2020 election results and continuing pressure, the relief bills passed by Congress are providing some help. But the application process is so complicated and difficult that special measures have had to be taken so that the relief funds can be accessible.

Unite CT is a rental and utility assistance program supporting Connecticut residents who have been hurt financially by the COVID-19 pandemic through loss of jobs, short hours or other loss of income.

Bi-lingual staff, volunteers and computers are available on site to help families and residents who have no internet access or needed technology with the online application for rental assistance and electric

utility programs,

In response to the great need, Unite CT now has a mobile van which has been going around the state to highly impacted covid-19 communities, bringing the assistance and resources directly to the needed towns and neighborhoods. This innovative program has been going on since early April and will be running throughout the summer months.

On May 17 the Unite CT mobile van came to the working class, largely African American Newhallville neighborhood of New Haven to assist community residents with their rental and utility issues. The mobile van was located in front of Lincoln Bassett School from 10am to 3pm.

As soon as I arrived I noticed a small crowd of Newhallville and Dixwell residents and a few of their landlords lined up waiting to register with the Unite CT volunteers who checked them in while another volunteer checked their needed documents. From there they are invited onto the mobile van for a sit-down with one of the coordinators who then helps the residents process their applications.

Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven (NHS) coordinator Robin Ladouver stressed the importance of these needed rental aid services directly brought to these communities of need in Connecticut.

"With Unite CT, Ladouver said, tenants will be eligible for up to $10,000 in rental assistance, and they'll also be eligible for up to $1,500 in utility assistance."

She said "Programs like Unite CT are very meaningful and needed, A lot of residents do not have access to computers or the internet, or do not know how to fill out the application or the process, so we bring the information and resources to them".

As I stood observing near the fence I notice the smaller crowd starting to gradually grow, and more residents getting in line with paperwork in hand seeking rental relief.

"The range of applicants who we work with weekly are very broad they vary, from elderly residents who complain being on fixed-incomes, to residents with health issues who fall behind on rent to single mothers who recently lost their jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic and who are now currently unemployed. Even landlords seeking financial help for their tenants are on line with countless families impacted by COVID-19" said Southern Connecticut Urban League volunteer Erica Ragorski.

This event was made possible by Connecticut's Housing Rental Assistance Program (RAP), and Neighborhood Housing Services Of New Haven (NHS) and Unite CT.

The Unite CT mobile van will be back in New Haven at the Wexler Grant School on 55 Foote Street, New Haven CT from (10am-3pm) Wednesday, May,26th, for New Haven / Dixwell Community residents.

The calendar showing where the van will be as it travels across Connecticut is here: https://portal.ct.gov/DOH/DOH/Programs/UniteCT

The Jobs and Unemployed Committee of the New Haven Peoples Center has been organizing to extend the eviction and foreclosure moratorium through the end of the year. Fliers with information about how to apply for assistance with Unite CT have been distributed throughout the community. For more information e-mail peoplescenter@pobox.com