Rising prices. Rents going up. Jobs harder to find.

The phones here at our offices keep ringing. The calls come from frightened, upset neighbors. The things they say would break your heart...

We’ve been evicted! My kids and I have nowhere to go!

I’ve run out of food, and I don’t get paid for another two weeks!

My kids are sick, and we are about to lose our apartment!

The calls come from neighbors. People just up the street, around the corner, maybe even next door. Moms and Dads trying to shield their children from hunger. Families who’ve done everything right, but still find themselves turned out of their homes – with no place to turn.

The pain in their voices is raw. The worry. The exhaustion of trying to hold things together, another week. Even one more night.

That’s why I’m reaching out to you today. Could you rush a donation to help our neighbors in need?

Your kindness will provide food, help with utilities, a place to stay ... you’ll help neighbors permanently break free from the constant threat of losing their homes. In these hard times, it’s one of the kindest things you can possibly do!

It’s been a tough year. For all of us. There’s more uncertainty than most of us have ever faced. A nagging sense that people don’t trust each other anymore. Looming cuts to safety-net programs that would cause so much suffering and disruption.

On top of all that the cost of living is climbing – especially for survival basics like food, health care and housing. Jobs are getting harder to find.

These things challenge us all, but they really hit people who already live near the edge. People who hold down two (even three) jobs can’t make ends meet any more. Rents that were just barely affordable suddenly go sky high ... and eviction is next.

Living in poverty has always been a soul-sapping struggle. But right now, it’s different. Harsher. More cruel. Fewer ways to break free.

You understand. You are a good neighbor who makes Washtenaw County a caring place. You know that when we care for our neighbors, the community is better for everyone.

Your kind gift today will help families get into safe housing. You’ll help them keep up with their basic needs and get back on their feet.

Let me tell you about Jenny (not her real name). Years ago, she was homeless, but she stabilized her life and found subsidized housing (Section 8). Things went well for several years. She and her kids had a decent place to live. She has a job where she does well – she’s had it for more than 10 years. It used to be enough to keep everything together.

Until disaster hit...

The apartment next to hers caught fire. It spread into Jenny’s apartment. It was destroyed too. She lost her apartment and all of her belongings.

To keep her housing subsidy, Jenny had to find a new place within six months. That’s the requirement of the program.

No small task, but it gets worse: Every landlord she talked to turned her away. They were nervous about accepting subsidy payments ... they’re afraid the federal government will stop paying all of a sudden. Leaving the landlord in the lurch. It hasn’t happened yet, but you can hardly blame them for fearing it.

The six-month deadline flew by. Jenny couldn’t find a place. She lost her housing subsidy.

She became homeless.

She and her kids slept in her car. Despite it all, Jenny keeps showing up for work every day. But she realizes that she and her kids will stay homeless until she gets a second job.

Jenny has been to dozens of job interviews. Employers are interested in her, but they can’t take on a new employee in these uncertain times.

So this hardworking Mom and her kids are still without a home.

This is where you come into Jenny’s story. When you and other caring neighbors step forward and donate, you’ll give families like Jenny’s the help they need to find and keep safe, stable, permanent, housing.