Marin rental aid effort for pandemic reaches $2.68M
The Marin Community Foundation has contributed an additional $100,000 to provide rental assistance to residents who have lost income because of the coronavirus pandemic.
That increases the total rental aid by the foundation and Marin County to $2.68 million since mid-March.
“A family struggling to remain in their home following sudden job and income loss is one of the most poignant needs of this pandemic period,” Marin Community Foundation CEO Thomas Peters said Thursday. “MCF is pleased to be partnering with the County of Marin and key community service organizations in helping to address this urgent challenge, and we are committed to continuing support as we are able.”
Jillian Nameth Zeiger, a planner in the county’s Community Development Agency overseeing the assistance effort, said even the $2.68 million will not be sufficient to meet the pleas for help.
Zeiger said that as of recently 1,100 people had been approved to receive assistance, and $1.1 million of the money had been spent. She said there are still 2,000 names on the waiting list for assistance, even though some people have called to have their names removed because they were able to go back to work.
All the assistance provided so far has been to pay rent in April, May and June.
Zeiger said that because the average amount of rental assistance required is $1,500, she expects the money allocated will run out long before everyone on the waiting list gets help.
“There is still a huge need,” Zeiger said.
Marin County has contracted with a group of nonprofits to distribute the money. They include Ritter Center, Adopt a Family of Marin, Community Action Marin, the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Marin County, North Marin Community Services and Community Action Marin. Community Action Marin is working with three additional organizations: Canal Alliance, Women Helping All People and West Marin Community Services.
Cynthia Rojas of Novato said her family received $2,100 in rental assistance with the help of North Marin Community Services. Rojas said her husband lost his two jobs — providing room service in a hotel and cleaning a museum — because of coronavirus restrictions. Rojas said she also had to quit working to care for her 14-year-old son, who has a weak immune system and could die if he contracts coronavirus.
“It’s been a hard time for everybody,” Rojas said.
Rojas said she is a U.S. citizen but her family didn’t qualify for the $1,200 federal stimulus check because her husband is in the process of getting his green card.
Cheryl Paddack, CEO of North Marin Community Services, said her organization has issued 237 rent checks totaling $375,000.
“It’s been overwhelming,” Paddack said. “The need will continue.”
Paddack said the nonprofit has also raised an additional $400,000 for rental assistance, including a $250,000 legacy gift from the Nancy H. and James Kelso Fund of the Marin Community Foundation.
Meredith Parnell, volunteer coordinator for the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Marin, said her organization used $113,500 in county and Marin Community Foundation money to provide rental assistance to 74 households in April and May. She said 37 of the families were Latino.
“We have seen a high level of need because rents are high in this county,” Parnell said. “We have a lot of people who lost work, and there is no telling how soon they’re going to be able to recover from that income loss.”