Rapid Response Fund Recipient, Housing For New Hope, Helps Families Move Into Stable Homes

On any given day, Housing for New Hope — a nonprofit organization based in Durham, NC — is helping up to 20 individuals and families make their way from streets, shelters, and motels to the safety of a stable home. They don’t just help to secure homes for our neighbors that need it most, they make sure the homes are inviting and furnished with everything they need to feel comfortable.

With the rise of COVID-19 locally, the Housing for New Hope team lost volunteers as well as access to their sources for furniture and donations. Not only could they not furnish the homes in that climate, they also didn’t have the helping hands needed to help move families in.

“As we’ve noted from the news and as we’ve said to many of our friends, we’ve never seen a crisis like this and that’s true for our clients and tenants,” explains Russ Pierce, Housing for New Hope’s Executive Director.

So they turned to United Way’s Rapid Response Fund for help and received an emergency support grant in the first round of funding. According to Pierce, the organization used those funds to ensure families can move into their new homes during this crisis. They were also able to negotiate with a local furniture store that opened just for Housing for New Hope and offered great deals to support their work.

Here’s Pierce explaining the impact that United Way’s Rapid Response Fund has had:

Beyond the funding provided by United Way of the Greater Triangle, Housing for New Hope asked their caseworkers to reach out to clients and tenants to identify their most immediate needs during the COVID-19 crisis and with that information started an emergency fund to move individuals and families from shelters to homes and to assist those in housing with rent, utilities, food, and more.

To learn more about the Rapid Response Fund and the other organizations it’s currently supporting, go to https://unitedwaytriangle.org/.