SA Neighborhood & Housing Services Dept April 27, 2020

View this email in your browser Dear Neighbors: I hope that this email finds each of you healthy and safe during this COVID-19 crisis. As we navigate through this crisis, the City and the Neighborhood and Housing Services Department (NHSD) are following a new mission – Response.  Recovery.  Basic Operations. We are working on improving our levels of communication, as we appreciate you as our community partners. We encourage you to share the information in this update with your networks and share with us what you’re hearing. Provide feedback at https://www.sanantonio.gov/NHSD/About/Contact?sendto=NHSD NHSD will continue to respond, help with the recovery and provide our municipal services to our community. We know that we will get through this crisis and will be ready to help with the recovery efforts soon.  Please feel free to reach out to the NHSD team or me should you have questions or ideas about what we can do to respond to this crisis and how we can continue to advance our work in these extra-ordinary times. Best, Vero On Thursday, April 22nd, City Council approved the creation of the COVID-19 Emergency Housing Assistance Program to respond to exponential increases for housing assistance requests as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. The new program includes $25 million from various sources. NHSD is managing this program and I have reassigned many staff from their current responsibilities to take on duties to assist with this new program. Please help us share with your neighbors that San Antonio residents can find more information or apply for the COVID-19 Emergency Housing Assistance by calling 210.207.5910 or by visiting  https://www.sanantonio.gov/NHSD/Programs/FairHousing. NHSD needs your help in making sure that people in your neighborhood associations who may need assistance, know about this resource so please help us pass the info around.  For those who may not need help and have the means to help others, we are also asking for donations to the fund to be able to help even more families.  Donations can be made by texting “HousingHelpSA” to 41444 or online at https://app.mobilecause.com/e/AMJd-w?vid=6vo9b To apply for assistance from the new COVID-19 Emergency Housing Assistance Program, San Antonio residents must: Be the primary lease or mortgage holder in a multifamily unit, mobile home, or single-family home within the city limits of San Antonio Provide proof of financial hardship that renders the household unable to pay rent, mortgage or utilities Have an income at or below 100% of the Area Median Income. Under these Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) guidelines, a San Antonio family of four earning $72,000 a year or below would qualify for the program.  The program provides individuals and families rent, mortgage, utility, and internet access assistance in the event of a hardship. Funds are paid directly to landlords, mortgage companies, and utility providers. Funds for groceries, medicine and fuel in the form of cash assistance will be distributed directly to individuals or families who qualify in an amount not to exceed $300. Direct assistance–from $150 to $300 based on household size–is made possible through a partnership between the City and the Family Independence Initiative. The COVID-19 Emergency Housing Assistance Program is proposed to end on July 31, 2020. NHSD is also responding to the COVID-19 crisis in the following ways: Circulating information and resources related to eviction, foreclosure, and utility assistance and referrals provided by local, state, and federal programs. (Document attached to this email) Connecting residents with other resources for domestic violence prevention and food programs Launched a Right-to Council program with Texas RioGrande Legal Aid for renters facing eviction Created an online portal in partnership with the San Antonio Area Foundation and the San Antonio Housing Trust for financial contributions to the COVID-19 Emergency Housing Assistance Program. Donations can be made by texting “HousingHelpSA” to 41444 or online at https://app.mobilecause.com/e/AMJd-w?vid=6vo9b Copyright © 2020 Neighborhood and Housing Services Department, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: Neighborhood and Housing Services Department 1400 South Flores San Antonio, TX 78204 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.