Earlier this year, Gina (alias), a college student and single mom with two kids, didn’t know what she was going to do.
She’d used all her savings to pay her deposit and rent on a new apartment, and she needed a new job to cover her bills.
Her baby’s daycare closed because of COVID-19, so she missed an interview for a much-needed job and couldn’t work because she didn’t have childcare.
As things looked grim, Gina found the help she needed at Community Action Services and Food Bank and kept a roof over her family’s heads.
“I’m so grateful that they came through for me and my kids,” Gina says.
Community Action Services and Food Bank, which serves Utah, Summit, and Wasatch counties, helps people in emergency situations like Gina every day with food, housing, utilities, and more.
Here’s how Community Action helped Gina and continues to help others like her get back on their feet. Working for a Better Life
Gina is a first-generation college student and mom of a baby and teenager. She moved to Utah from Connecticut for school, so she doesn’t have family nearby.
She’s working toward a bachelor’s degree in biology and hopes to graduate and enroll in school to become a physician assistant.
Her ultimate goal is to work for Intermountain Healthcare and help people every day.
Being a single mom and college student isn’t easy, though. She needed temporary help to pay rent because of the pandemic. She was nervous about seeking help but called 211 for help anyway and connected with Community Action Services and Food Bank.
The agency helped her apply for a grant designed to help people impacted by COVID pay rent, mortgage payments, and utilities. The grant paid her rent in January, and she got help from the agency with food, diapers, and formula.
The pandemic has hit many people hard. According to the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, more than 12 million adults aren’t current on rent. That number includes about 71,000 renters in Utah. Also, around 10.6 million adults live in a household that is behind on its mortgage payments.
Community Action Services and Food Bank—and nonprofit agencies like it around the country—help connect people in need with grants and other services to keep a roof over their heads, food on the table, and more.
Community Action helped 629 households make housing payments between July 14 and December 31 last year. People come to Community Action Services and Food Bank for all kinds of reasons: Some are like Gina and need emergency assistance because of COVID.
Do you or someone you know need help with rent or utilities because of COVID? Then go to rentrelief.utah.gov. If you find yourself in need of other assistance then please call us at (801) 373-8200. You also can contact us via email at casfb@communityactionuc.org or visit our website. (Serve Daily submission.)
