Scott County and Davenport homeless prevention and rehousing.
Two agencies in Scott County Iowa both stop homelessness as well provide rapid rehousing services. The resources available in this endeavor are wide ranging, and include everything from legal support, information on government grants, credit repair, and landlord – tenant mediation among many others. Most of the homeless prevention programs (from groups such as Family Resources) in the Davenport region are available for free to income qualified tenants and homeowners.
The three categories of assistance available in the county are below. Each is of coursed focused on tenants, a homeowner, or a family that is currently homeless. When the applicant is facing an unusual circumstance (such as a homeless veteran or survivor of domestic violence), they can also apply for homeless prevention and rehousing in Scott County.
Assistance for tenants to prevent an eviction
Many tenants with an eviction notice (or shut off of their power) request direct financial aid. However the availability of grants for paying rent or utility bill arrears is limited. Even if there are funds available in Scott County, from say the community action agency or Family Resources, the dollar amount provided is limited.
When there is money provided as part of eviction prevention from ESG grants or a United Way allotment, the tenant will also need to contribute to what is due. The applicant will also need to have a job or source of stable income, have shown a past history of paying their bills on time, and be facing a short term crisis. Cash assistance as part of homelessness prevention will not help a Scott County family that has been living in poverty and/or has a history of evictions.
Homeless prevention for tenants in Davenport is much more likely to include either free legal aid or landlord – tenant mediation. One example of this is the Legal Aid office, and that phone number is (319) 351-6570. This process is non-financial in nature, and this in fact can solve many eviction problems. Some of the tactics used in Scott County Iowa are as follows.
-Representation in housing court using an attorney or paralegal.
-Payment plans with a landlord or apartment community on unpaid rent.
-Help in applying to utility bill payment programs (such as LIHEAP) or payment plans for homelessness that is caused by unpaid utilities.
-Free mediation services for disputes around noise, apartment repairs, cleanliness, and other issues.
-Assistance in relocating to a new, more affordable home or apartment.
Scott County homeless prevention for homeowners
Free counseling is used. The local community action agencies partner with non-profit HUD approved counseling agencies in Davenport Iowa. They can help the homeowner that has a foreclosure notice and that is threatened with homelessness. The solutions for a homeowner also generally involve non-monetary support, unless the main issue is an unpaid utility or heating bills.
Many banks that operate in the state, such as Wells Fargo and/or Bank of America or others, provide payment plans to their clients. They can either reduce the interest rate on the existing mortgage, allow more time to make a payment, or extend the terms. There are also federal government supported schemes, such as HARP home loan modifications and others. The Scott County foreclosure prevention process will review all of these options.
Rapid rehousing in Scott County Iowa
There are times when none of the homeless prevention programs above will work. In these cases non-profits such as Family Resource Center will try to rehouse the homeless person. While the process will often involve a shelter or emergency motel voucher (during cold weather), the goal is to get the individual or family into a new home ASAP.
Staff from a local Davenport agency will meet with the client to understand their needs. If there is a barrier, such as poor credit scores, counseling is used. Other services from the rapid rehousing service include help in locating a new home or apartment, applications to security deposit assistance programs, legal support, and much more.
More more information, dial Family Resources at 563.326.6431, or a community action agency in Scott County. These non-profits, as well as others such as the United Way 211, can also offer information on homeless prevention programs.
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