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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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