By Emily K. Alhadeff, Associate Editor, The Jewish Sound
They sleep in their cars, they crash with friends and family, they give up their pets. They don’t know where they’re going to stay tonight, or if they’ll be able to stay in the apartment they’re in. The shelters are at capacity, work runs out, a health issue arises. Their kids may not know what’s going on, but they know something’s wrong.
These are some of the terrifying conditions for homeless families across King County. Affordable housing is a growing crisis in Seattle, and one of the biggest challenges for homeless individuals and families is making the initial rental deposit of first and last months’ rent and security.
“When you’re out of a home and trying to enter an apartment, it’s impossible,” said Fred Diamondstone, the chair of Homeless to Renter (H2R). “You’ve got to come up with a fair bit of money.”
www.templebetham.org/social-action/homeless-to-rent-h2r.
A product of Temple Beth Am and Congregation Beth Shalom, H2R after Temple Beth Am hosted Tent City in its back lot in 2003. The congregants learned something critical while hosting the homeless camp.
“There would be families who could make it in housing if it weren’t for the deposits,” said Diamondstone. “If we could help with the deposits, that would get people over the hump.”
Anyone who has ever rented should relate to this obstacle. With little to no government or family assistance and an average- or low-paying job, writing a check for hundreds or thousands of dollars is just about impossible. Now throw in a family to support.
H2R helps about 25 families a year by providing them with the necessary startup housing funds. Working with Jewish Family Service since 2006, H2R gets referrals for families who meet certain criteria — they must live in King County, be recently homeless with children, and have a sustainable source of income.
The H2R committee also follows up with families for a 12-month period. Diamondstone says 74 percent of families are able to hold onto their housing during that first year.
“This is a best practice that very few agencies are able to do,” said Carol Mullin, director of emergency services at JFS. “We are happy to invest our time in that.”
Mullin is moved by the stories of sustainable housing success that have come out of H2R. This year, at the annual benefit during Sukkot, H2R will feature a short film with three recipients who have been able to start over with the organization’s help. One man describes riding the bus all night when he had nowhere to go; a woman recalls having to bring her children’s dog to the pound when they couldn’t afford to keep it.
“Just think for a second about what that means,” said Mullin. “You’re struggling to make ends meet and you’ve lost your housing. How do you begin again?”
H2R raises about $25,000 a year. This year, Temple Beth Am is including a line item for it in the budget for the first time.
“We’re pleased with that kind of institutional commitment for the program,” Diamondstone said. “We’ve got a lot of board support and we’re grateful for it.”
The lack of affordable housing in the region is at the forefront of the issue, said Mullin. The shelters are at capacity and not always viable. In other cases, work falls through and the earnings from a new job aren’t enough to pull together next month’s rent. It’s easy to fall through the cracks. By following up, JFS is able to provide additional help if the family faces a challenge during the first year.
“It’s really a great partnership. Without the initial investment of H2R we probably wouldn’t be helping them at all,” said Mullin.
“The energy that they put forth on the mission of the project is admirable,” she continued. “They’ve made themselves into a best practice.”