Informed my landlord and she couldn’t wait for me to get a check

(Request from Shay in Orlando, Florida) Hi Im looking for help to find assistance because I wasn’t able to pay rent for this month Aug and the next month Sept is coming up. I was laid off from my job in July. So that left me out of work for a whole 30 days, while looking for work. I currently started my new job thursday Aug 14 and its 40 hrs getting paid every week. I informed my landlord and she said she couldn’t wait for me to get a check, so she filled to start a eviction process on Aug 12th. My rent is $760 a month, now with all the late fees its $1,000 something. Please give me some advice on what to do because I cant lose my home. Im a single mother of 3 young children.

Dear Shay,

Your landlord may be pressured to keep up with bills on the home also, which could be why she is not able to provide you with any flexibility on your rent payments. There are a couple of options that you should consider.

First, it is imperative that you visit the Department of Social Services. DSS can sometimes provide emergency rental aid to lower income tenants who have experienced a recent financial crisis. Your layoff certainly qualifies as a serious situation that has caused you economic harm.

Since you have already found a new job, this actually improves your chances of receiving emergency aid. The reason is that it would be feasible for you to be able to remain in the home and keep up with your normal rent payments if they provide you with a month’s rent. Whether they provide you with direct funding or link you to an alternate emergency rental assistance program, this is the first place to start.

The next step may be to check with Catholic Charities. This organization is religious-based and supported by members of the Catholic Church. Funding is very limited, but sometimes enough funds can be approved to help you pay your rent.

The Diocese that serves your community in Orlando administers Catholic Charities of Central Florida, which runs a local rental aid program. Aid cannot be approved unless you have first been turned away by DSS, so it is important to meet with a social worker at DSS first.

Either organization will be able to link you with other possible matches too if you are unable to get the help you need from internal funding. There are several aid organizations that provide emergency rent payments to prevent an eviction.

Finally, you should know that a rental assistance loan can be a potential option, albeit less favorable than a grant. If you need cash to remain in the home and can afford to pay an extra $50 a month or so to repay the loan, then your bank or credit union may be able to provide you with a personal loan for rent arrears. Again, this is not a primary option, but it can be cheaper than an eviction, which could cost more money, moving expenses and you would still be on the hook for the arrears anyways.