We Accepted the Challenge - Now We Are Relying on Your Support to Help Us Help Our Neighbors
You may not be going home for the holidays, but you can help ACTS give a home for the holidays to one of our neighbors!
The county's most vulnerable homeless individuals are on the verge of losing their temporary shelter on December 31st. ACTS is stepping in to find permanent housing for these individuals. We have funds to help them move in and cover their rent for an extended period of time (six months to a year - because these individuals are more likely to be on disability than to find employment), but we have no funds to furnish their new homes.
Due to COVID, homeless individuals throughout the county who are elderly, have underlying health conditions, or have been exposed to COVID-19 have been placed in a hotel rather than emergency shelters, such as ours. Even though they are not residing in our shelters we have continued to provide their case management. However, the CARES Act funds that are paying for the hotel program end December 31.
ACTS has accepted a challenge from the Prince William Area Continuum of Care to find permanent housing for 28 of these individuals within the next six weeks. While we have the funds to pay for security deposits, rental assistance, and case management, we do not have the funds to furnish their new homes (which may be a rented room in someone else's home or their own apartment). Such is the nature of grant funding. These individuals have nothing, so their new living space will be empty. To ensure everyone has a solid foundation when they move in, we are collecting funds for Welcome Home Kits. These include everything from an air mattress to linens and shower curtains.
We can essentially give them the key to the door, but they will be sleeping on the floor of an empty apartment without these Welcome Home Kits. We need the community to partner with us to provide homes for those with none this holiday season.