We had the great pleasure of partnering with local government, United Way of Greater Kansas City and the Greater Kansas City Coalition to End Homelessness to efficiently and affordably distribute CARES Act dollars to residents in need of rent and utilities assistance as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our team produced an amazing tool in a short amount of time, and it gives us hope in a time when we’ve become cynical about how the government is addressing the pandemic. Our community needed assistance and our programmers stepped up to the plate and hit a home run. More than 1,200 applications have already been processed.
Made possible with funding from the December 2020 stimulus package, the Emergency Rental Assistance Program was designed in collaboration with local government and service providers to ensure that eligible recipients receive assistance quickly.
We created a single online registration application that anyone in need of rent and utilities assistance fills out. The application is distributed to the appropriate service provider who then reaches out to the applicant.
"When people are in crisis, asking for help can be overwhelming," said Jim MacDonald, Chief Community Investment Officer at United Way of Greater Kansas City. "This program removes the obstacles. After filling out a simple registration form, a community service program will reach out to the applicant to get them connected to the assistance they need."
“CCL is helping us to be more efficient in delivering CARES Act dollars to the people who need the help,” said John A. Wood, Director of Kansas City’s Neighborhoods & Housing Services Department. “People have lost their jobs and are having trouble paying rent and utilities. They don’t need to struggle to find help, too.”