Black Lens - September 2021

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Page 12 September 2021 www.blacklensnews.com The Black Lens Spokane If you know someone who seems to be STRUGGLING EMOTIONALLY here are some steps you can take to help: Ask It’s OK to ask a friend or loved one directly if they are struggling emotionally. Be There Listen with compassion and empathy and without dismissing or judging. Keep Them Safe If your friend is in crisis or considering self-harm, separate them from anything they could use to hurt themselves. Follow Up Check in with the person on a regular basis. Contacting a friend who is going through a time of emotional pain can make a big difference. Help Them Connect Help connect your loved one to a support system, whether it’s family, friends, clergy, coaches, or therapists. You can also give them information about calling WAListens, 1.833.681.0211, to speak to a support specialist or the regional crisis line, 1.877.266.1818, if they need immediate help. covid.srhd.org/mental-health-and-coping Spokane Regional Health District assures nondiscrimination in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. To file a complaint or to request more information, reasonable accommodations, or language translations, contact 509.324.1501 or visit srhd.org. Created September 2021. Adapted from: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/promote-national-suicide-prevention-month/
The Black Lens Spokane www.blacklensnews.com September 2021 Page 13 Despite Short-Term Rental Eviction Reprieve, No Permanent Solution Found By Charlene Crowell (TriceEdneyWire.com) - On August 4, an estimated 11 million American consumers facing imminent evictions gained a shortterm reprieve, thanks to an eviction moratorium extension ordered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Effective August 3 through October 3, counties experiencing substantial and high levels of COVID-19 levels, many of which are driven by the surging delta variant are eligible for 75% of the approved $46 billion still available. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has an online Rental Assistance Finder at www.consumerfinance.gov/renthelp, designed to connect renters and landlords with state and local programs distributing federal emergency rental assistance (ERA) nationwide. It is critical for states and localities to turn their attention to distributing ERA funds more quickly. Program administrators can and should utilize the flexibilities the Treasury Department provided, and ensure that programs’ barriers – like burdensome documentation requirements – are minimized. According to CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, “The emergence of the delta variant has led to a rapid acceleration of community transmission in the United States, putting more Americans at increased risk, especially if they are unvaccinated. This moratorium is the right thing to do to keep people in their homes and out of congregate settings where COVID-19 spreads.” The action came on the heels of a ‘sleepin’ protest on the steps of the Capitol, led by freshman legislator Rep. Cori Bush. Representing St. Louis and adjoining areas, Ms. Bush herself was once a homeless single mother, and vowed that the peaceful protest would continue until actions were taken to protect renters. She is also a registered nurse, ordained pastor, and the Deputy Whip for the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Her activism first gained public U. S. Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) stages a protest outside the U. S. Capitol Building, drawing national attention to homelessness and the need for the eviction reprieve. The Rev. Jesse Jackson (left) and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) stand in support of her. PHOTO: Roy Lewis/Trice Edney News Wire attention following the death of Michael Brown, Jr. in Ferguson, MO. Upon learning of the CDC moratorium extension, Rep. Bush said, “Over the last five days, our movement has received support from many of our House and Senate colleagues. Especially as a formerly unhoused person, I am grateful to each and every one of them for recognizing and working to end this eviction emergency and for amplifying the call to extend the eviction moratorium. It will take all of us working together to get this done. Each day that passes without a federal moratorium is another day of evictions, uncertainty, and instability for millions of people who are at risk of being removed from their homes.” Only a few days earlier on July 27, the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, led by South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn, heard from another single mother, Katrina Chism of metro Atlanta, who testified to her lengthy and ongoing struggle to keep a roof over her family’s head. “The fear of homelessness became a reality for me,” testified Ms.Chism. “I had never faced this type of stress before and I had no idea what I was going to be able to do with little income and no home…. In May, I ended up moving to another county further outside Atlanta, where I felt forced into a lease where my rent increased by several hundred dollars per month. I went from paying $1245 to $1600. It was really expensive to move. I had to pay for (movers, a U-Haul junk remover, a large deposit, application fees, etc.).” Her testimony went on to recount details of the personal ordeal she endured that began with an August 2020 job layoff. During the two months it took to secure alternative work, she fell two months behind on her rent. On February 12 of this year, she applied for rental assistance - the first day that the Tenant-Landlord Assistance Coalition in DeKalb County began accepting applications. Her approved application was sent to Atlanta Legal Aid to help negotiate a resolution with her landlord using rental assistance through the county. A month later in March, Ms. Chism again lost her job. Her legal aid attorney tried to negotiate repayments with the landlord over several weeks, including an updated proposal with higher numbers when another month’s rent was due. But by mid- April, the landlord rejected the proposal and issued notice that the lease set to expire in mid-May would not be renewed. The alternative housing for herself and her son prevented the family from becoming homeless; but the rent charged with the new landlord rose by $355 each month. “I felt expendable, and they showed me I was”, testified Ms. Chism. “I was not given any consideration as a long-term tenant with no evictions on my record ever. I felt as if I had broken the law somehow while we were in the middle of a pandemic…. There are so many people in this situation, and it is unfair. There is assistance out there to help relieve everyone of financial burden, but when corporations are greedy, they ignore the everyday person doing everything they can to survive.” According to a related Aspen Institute report. “Currently, 22% of Black renters and 17% of Latinx renters are in debt to their landlords, compared to 15% overall and 11% of White renters. Rental debt is also challenging for renters with children, with 19% unable to make payments.” Continued on Page 31 Behind on Your Rent or Mortgage? Need Help with Utilities? We Can Help. Check To See If You Qualify Visit CarlMaxeyCenter.org For questions or application assistance call 509-309-2175. e Carl Maxey Center has partnered with the City of Spokane, LiveStories and Better Health Together to provide emergency rental & utility assistance and mortgage assistance to address the disproportionate hardships faced by African Americans and people of color due to the COVID-19 pandemic. e program is designed to assist residents of the City of Spokane who qualify based on their income and are impacted by COVID-19, who are currently (or will be) struggling with past due, current due or future rent, utilities and past due residential mortgage payments.
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