Eviction Mitigation
What are we doing to help?
United Way Suncoast has invested over $3 million to 16 nonprofits partners to address housing and evictions in our five-county area. This investment has been made through housing and ERA navigators, direct assistance to address gaps that other funding cannot address, and legal aid for those facing eviction and has kept many families in their homes during these difficult months. Along with funding, United Way Suncoast also convened partners together to both discuss and share the ongoing difficulties families are facing with the housing crisis.
From this work, the following impacts have been made in 2022:
- The UWS RISE Eviction Navigation program has had a reported 91% success rate of helping individuals who received navigation stably stay in their homes.
- Through all services provided including rental assistance, direct payments, and other supports that have helped families build financial stability, a total of 5,322 people have been served in the first year of this work.
- Of these families, 98% were ALICE or below, with 72% of these individuals also below the poverty line
- In total, $3.1 million were raised in this work, with $1.6 million being distributed through direct assistance from our community partners to families
- Of this UWS direct assistance, $1,076,844 were spent on rent, mortgage, or utilities
Here are some answers to common questions:
FOR THE RENTER:
If I’ve fallen behind on my rent, what should I do?
Don’t wait until you receive an eviction notice. It’s more difficult to mitigate the situation once you’re served with an eviction notice. Connect with your local 211 website to find links to resources on housing and more. Here are the links to these resources:
- 211 in Hillsborough County: http://www.211atyourfingertips.org/
- Hillsborough County does have some rental and mortgage assistance. Please call Hillsborough County (813-272-5220) for assistance. Eligibility includes having a notice that you were behind on rent by your landlord. Also, please provide both your most recent (2022) tax return if you filed and a valid driver’s license.
- Mortgage Assistance can be found at the same number (813-272-5220). You cannot be in foreclosure but you must be past due in the past month.
- A list of other partners can be found here: https://www.tampa.gov/homeless
- 211 in Pinellas County: https://211tampabay.org/home/housing-and-homelessness/
- Additional resources can also be found on Homeless Leadership Alliance’s website: https://www.pinellashomeless.org/resources
- 211 in Sarasota / Manatee / DeSoto Counties: https://211suncoastcares.org/
- Housing resources can be found here: http://www.navigateresources.net/211CommunityResources/Subcategory.aspx?;;0;;N;0;1124895;Housing
What if my landlord has served me an eviction notice?
If you have been served an eviction notice or you’re in immediate need of housing support please contact your local legal aide to determine available options:
- Bay Area Legal (Hillsborough and Pinellas),
- Gulfcoast Legal (Pinellas, Manatee and Sarasota),
- Community Law (Pinellas).
FOR THE DONOR:
Is UWS seeking donations from private individuals for this initiative?
This initiative falls under our mission focus of financial stability and so we are always accepting donations from individuals who can choose to designate their gift to financial stability, knowing that this, and other programs will have the funding needed to help our community during this challenging time.
▶ DONATE. You can indicate your designation in the message field provided.