Filter Services Helps Hospitals Retrofit for COVID-19
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How have you helped others during this challenging time? Share your story for a chance to be featured.
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SPANISH COALITION FOR HOUSING KEEPS PEOPLE IN THEIR HOMES
The economic impact of COVID-19 has been particularly pernicious for those struggling to pay their rent or mortgage. As one of the largest nonprofit HUD-certified housing counseling providers for low-to-moderate income households, the Spanish Coalition for Housing (SCH) felt a responsibility to address the situation.
“We’ve had a history of responding as a triage provider,” said Joseph Lopez, Executive Director of the Spanish Coalition for Housing. “We knew we would have additional demand as job losses spread, and that we would have to scale up our efforts.”
Through May 2020, the SCH has helped stabilize 130 households experiencing pandemic-related financial hardships. For example, one Chicagoan was laid off from her jobs as both a hairdresser and as a caregiver, so she worked with SCH to apply for emergency funding and received $5,000 to stabilize her housing situation.
The SCH is well-known for the quality of its housing counseling, and often receives referrals from other Chicago community-based organizations. In total, as part of its Remote Housing Counseling for Emergency Rental and Mortgage Assistance Program, the SCH has drawn on $270,000 in emergency assistance funds from the State of Illinois Homeless Prevention Program and FEMA. As a result, the SCH has stabilized the finances of 130 households, positively affecting 450 Chicago residents. Nearly 100 additional households are in the pipeline to receive assistance.
On the other end of the spectrum, even in the face of the pandemic, the Spanish Coalition for Housing has seen continued interest from first-time homebuyers. Going digital has been a way to meet that interest. The organization is now hosting virtual group homebuyer education seminars and providing tele-prepurchase counseling to help individuals and families become mortgage-ready.
In late June, SCH will launch its first-ever virtual Homebuyer Expo – Camino a Su Casa – to provide the resources and education that are typically available during their annual in-person expo. The SCH has the resources to transition to virtual experiences in part because of a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan it received from First Midwest Bank.
“First Midwest Bank was significantly helpful throughout the PPP process,” said Lopez. “We were originally working with a larger bank that did not have resources devoted to our application. The responsiveness from First Midwest made for a day-and-night difference of experience.”
With confidence in its financial footing, the SCH has been able to focus on what matters – providing comprehensive counseling, education, and housing resources to those who need it.
