Relief for Northeast Ohio renters' sewer bills is here, but will they take advantage of it?

The Just Neighbors Interfaith Homeless Network’s Eviction Intervention Program helps tenants avoid eviction by providing financial assistance and referrals to legal representation and other social service agencies. When approved under the Eviction Intervention Program, Just Neighbors will pay the tenant’s past-due rent and rent going forward for a set period of time to give tenants some leeway while they get their finances back on track.

Funding from the American Rescue Plan Act is being used to combat homelessness and housing insecurity by using federal dollars to provide affordable rental housing — like Desert Hope apartments — rental assistance for tenants and other supportive services for those experiencing homelessness.

The Homelessness Prevention Unit of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services launched a pilot program that uses artificial intelligence to make predictions about who is most likely to experience homelessness by tracking data like arrests, sign-ups for public benefits like food aid and emergency room visits so the county can step in to offer help before that happens. In over two years, the program has helped 560 people secure housing and avoid homelessness and a large majority of them have managed to maintain that housing.

The I-WASH program aims to combat waterborne diseases and address challenges facing communities without access to clean water. The program has built toilets in schools, provided handwashing facilities, as well as a solar-powered borehole and educational services on sanitation practices and how to maintain the water points. Through the help of the I-WASH program, as of May 2022, 300 functional toilets had been built in households across more than 30 communities.

Step Up Durham’s Guaranteed Basic Income Program gives 109 people who were formerly incarcerated $600 a month, no questions asked. The purpose of the monthly payments is to help people who may need extra assistance to meet their basic needs.

Rhino is a startup that partners with property owners to offer renters the option of paying the company a monthly fee instead of an upfront deposit. In exchange, Rhino insures the apartment against wear and tear damages. There is no approval process, Rhino covers anyone that a property owner approves to rent, but the renter’s employment status and credit score determine their monthly premium, which can be as little as $5 for a monthly rent of $1,000.

In Ypsilanti, Michigan, aspiring homeowners in the quickly gentrifying town are taking advantage of some lesser known programs to help people save up for down-payments and build credit. Those programs and other financial services and classes are helping people own homes in towns across the region.

Homelessness has many challenges that require different services to aid those who have no place to live—including daycare and laundry. Seattle has established Mary’s Place Family Center, a public space that collaborates with non-profits to provide a multitude of social services to the homeless. Large corporations have donated buildings to serve as Seattle’s Mary’s Place shelters to diminish costs.

The Customer Assistance Program—a collaboration designed by Duke, North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services, and a host of advocates—offers a monthly energy bill credit of up to $42 for households under a certain income threshold. In the first of three pilot years, about 55,000 households accessed this financial aid.

The Simbula Ventures Initiative unites women from various communities and teaches them how to grow mushrooms. The Initiative teaches the women how to grow mushrooms with agricultural waste, yielding a harvest in about 18-21 days. The women can then use the mushrooms to cook for their families or sell them to make a profit, providing them with a sense of economic empowerment.