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After Janell Ivy lost her job at a daycare center because of the pandemic, she fell behind on her $890 rent.
The single mother feared that she and her four children, all under the age of 7, would be evicted from their apartment in Houston. She packed up her children’s toys and clothes in preparation, though she didn’t know where they’d go.
But after a terrible year, Ivy recently got some good news: She was approved for more than $5,000 from the Houston-Harris County Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
“I have fully unpacked and it feels marvelous to know my children and I have a roof over our heads,” Ivy, 33, said.
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There are now more than 380 programs across the country providing money to renters who’ve fallen behind because of the public health crisis. The funds total more than $45 billion and have been allocated by Congress in the last two major stimulus packages.
More than 10 million Americans, or 14% of U.S. renters, say they aren’t caught up with their housing payments, according to a recent analysis by The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
“Renters have been really hit hard by the pandemic,” said Andrew Aurand, vice president for research at the National Low Income Housing Coalition. “The need is…
