Agencies can advise, help those who need eviction, utilities aid
Oklahomans facing eviction in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to end the federal eviction moratorium on Aug. 26 have several local agencies they can turn to for assistance.
The moratorium was thrown out after offering months of protection, opening the door for a wave of evictions that could result in a rise in homelessness. Local agencies have help available at every phase of the process with options for rental and utility assistance, shelter and rehousing assistance.
“We have definitely seen an increase in calls lately,” said Kinsey Crocker, director of communications for the
Homeless Alliance.
Crocker said the calls are likely due to both evictions and an increased awareness of the services offered. The rise has not only led to an increase in full time staff to handle intake, but those people are working overtime to keep up.
However, even with a number of agencies poised to help those in need, low inventory in the real estate market continues to complicate the problem.
Faced with potential eviction
Those who are behind on rent or utilities but have not yet been evicted or are headed to eviction court can still file for assistance. Millions in federal funds have been set aside to assist with back rent and utilities for Oklahomans.
Community Care Partners is responsible for disbursing those funds throughout the state and has an online application process for assistance. However, the application will be down for about six weeks until Oct. 15 to allow the organization to process a backlog of applications, according to an email from Shannon Carr, director of communications for Community Cares Partners.
Carr said Community Care Partners has distributed more than $50 million in rent and utility assistance.
“On the flip side, there are over 13,000 submitted applications in the pipeline waiting to be completely processed and paid,” Carr said. “It takes about eight weeks to qualify tenants, execute the Emergency Rental Assistance Agreement (ERAA), and get an application sent for payment.”
Several other organizations can help those in Oklahoma City while the application for Community Care Partners is down, including Upward Transitions, Catholic Charities, Neighborhood Services Organization, The Salvation Army and the Homeless Alliance.
“We do rental assistance,” Crocker said of the Homeless Alliance and the others. “CCP by far had the most capacity, so this will really impact the amount of referrals we will all be getting.”
If you need immediate shelter
When eviction already has occurred, there are number of resources available to provide for immediate shelter needs.
Individuals and families can find a temporary place to stay with The Salvation Army, City Rescue Mission or the City Care Night Shelter. Men can stay at Grace Rescue Mission. Sisu Youth offers housing for those ages 15 to 22 in need of assistance and the Point at Pivot welcomes ages 15 to 24.
Many offer shelter only for the night, requiring you to leave each day and return. Check with providers to know the guidelines and restrictions in advance.
Need help finding a new home
When there is a need to re-establish a home, the Homeless Alliance, Positive Tomorrows and Neighborhood Services Organization all have staff to aid those who have experienced an eviction.
While all three serve families, the Homeless Alliance and Neighborhood Services Organization also help individuals in need. Case workers can assist with searching for a home, obtaining and completing paperwork and more.
The affordable housing shortage
According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, Oklahoma lacks 71,172 affordable rental homes for extremely low income renters. Additionally, 85% of extremely low income and 71% of very low income renters are considered cost burdened, meaning they spend at least 30% of their monthly income on housing and utilities. This means a person working full-time making minimum wage in Oklahoma City would need to find rent lower than $387.
While affordable housing has been a discussion for years, particularly in the Oklahoma City metro area, the inventory has not increased at the level necessary for the need.
MAPS 4 included $50 million for affordable housing when it was approved in 2019. The Homeless Alliance expects that money to provide about 1,000 new units, leaving a large gap.
“I can stand on the street corner all day and say ‘You need to build more housing,’” said Dan Straughan, executive director of the Homeless Alliance in a June interview. “It’s not until the chambers (of commerce) and the real estate developers and municipal government and all those groups come together and say ‘yes we, as a community, need to build more truly affordable housing,’ that it will actually get done.”