“We were anxious, upset and close to becoming homeless.”
It was a few weeks before Christmas when Cynthia’s landlord told her he was selling the house she and her sister were renting. He said the buyer planned to renovate the home and charge higher rent, so the sisters needed to move. They had just paid December rent but needed to be out in 30 days.
They started filling out applications for other rentals, but were overwhelmed by the paperwork and application fees.
Cynthia came to Community Action’s offices in Beloit to find help.
Community Action staffers LaFonda and Lucretia walked them through the application process, and helped the sisters apply for assistance with application fees through a program funded by the State of Wisconsin.
With guidance from Community Action, the sisters are now leasing a new home.
“We wanted to tell you thank you,” Cynthia says. “Without your help, we wouldn’t have been able to figure out that application. There are a lot of people who can’t figure out the application, or landlords want $100 for prospective tenants to look at a rental.”
After they signed the lease, Lucretia followed up with the landlord. He was willing to give them a few weeks’ grace period to move into their new space, especially since they were working with Community Action.
For more information about this type of program in Rock and Walworth counties, call (608) 313-1300 or dial 2-1-1.