Emergency homeless prevention Brazoria County.
Brazoria County tenants with a short term hardship can apply for eviction assistance in a crisis. There are a few local agencies that are involved in providing various forms of housing support when an individual has a pay or quit notice or if they have a legal dispute. Information on resources that may be available are below, but the goal is always to stop homelessness from occurring.
When the emergency can't be solved, and the family is evicted, then rapid rehousing is available. Non-profits such as the River of Hope (dial 979-299-9464) or Central Territorial of The Salvation Army (phone 979-233-5420) may be able to provide information on resources available. This may include, but is not limited too, security deposit help, motel vouchers, or also placement into shelters.
Brazoria County financial aid for stopping homelessness comes in one of many forms. The primary ways that support can be offered include the following:
Emergency Solution Grants (ESG) includes money for housing, rental and energy bill arrears.
Supportive Services for Veterans (SSVF) covers Brazoria County veterans and/or spouses.
Shelter Plus Care is a homeless prevention service for the disabled or mentally ill.
Section 8 HUD vouchers is a long term solution to homelessness.
Immigrants and non-English speakers can get help.
Each of those listed above has different funding levels. Some are more focused on emergency eviction prevention, such as ESG. Others will come with long term waiting lists, including section 8. While they may not also help with stopping an imminent eviction, they can be used to break the cycle of poverty and tenants being evicted.
When there is money offered from a Brazoria County homeless prevention program, it will be limited. It often comes in tens or maybe low hundreds of dollars. This will depending on many factors, not of which is the tenant's need and program funding limits. In some cases there is not even any financial help given, but rather the tenant is given a credit on their account in partnership with the creditor. This is more common for utility or water bills that need to be paid.
Also, any assistance paid out for rental or energy arrears will be made directly to the landlord or utility company. There is never any cash given to the tenant. This is offered by any agency, such as River of Hope, that is involved in eviction prevention.
As noted above, sometimes the tenant just can't have their issue addressed. Maybe their income no longer allows them to afford the apartment or home they are living in. Maybe they are too far in arrears on their rent. Or if there is a legal issue or unsafe housing, then those too can lead to homelessness. Therefore rehousing is used as a solution. The Saint Thomas Center as well as Central Territorial of The Salvation Army try to coordinate these.
A big part of rehousing will involve case management. There is not an agency in Brazoria County that will just place an unemployed person directly into a new home. As if they do not have the ability to deal with the financial challenges they have now (and may appear in the future) then they may just be evicted again. So self-sufficiency is stressed as part of homeless prevention.
The rehousing available for the homeless in Brazoria County will also be available in one or more ways. This is the same concept as noted above for eviction prevention. Each client will be given the solution that may best fit their needs.
- Emergency shelters get the family off the street.
- Motel vouchers are used when shelters are full.
- Security deposit help in Brazoria County may help place the family into a new home.
When homelessness, it is better to know what is needed by an agency when applying for help. The staff from River of Hope want to ensure that the soon to be tenant is able to willing to resolve the issues that lead them to be evicted in the first place. So any support is offered as a hand-up from the administering agencies.
For information as well as applications to these various resources, contact a designated agency above. Tenants and the homeless can learn about eviction or rehousing programs that operate in Brazoria County Texas.
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