Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church (GCPC) has had to stop providing rental assistance due to a lack of funds. Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church’s rental assistance work rose out of the drastic need following Hurricane Helene.
Pastor Marcia Mount Shoop, the staff at Grace Covenant and many volunteers were able to quickly organize a system to raise funds and disperse payments directly to landlords and Duke power to prevent or stop evictions, keep utilities on and keep people housed in the midst of the economic crisis that has followed Helene.
To date, Grace Covenant has processed more than $4 million in rental and utility assistance since the storm, raising a majority of their funds from private donations and some from local grants including both the City of Asheville and Buncombe County, and those funds have now been exhausted. Grace Covenant has been the primary large scale entity distributing rental assistance quickly enough to prevent and even stop evictions and able to pay several months of back rent for tenants who have been behind on their rent due to a loss of income from Helene. Four months after the storm, many of our community members remain out of work or underemployed as local businesses continue to struggle through the winter following Helene. The rental assistance program at GCPC has been a critical component in preventing displacement of our local workforce.
Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church is actively seeking large scale donations and grants, as well as local partnerships in every effort to resume support for tenants struggling with significant income loss and pay landlords who also need to meet their financial obligations. Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church plans to continue serving the community with rental assistance if and when additional funds are secured. Additionally, Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church has a long term plan to support affordable housing and remain a critical component of the long term disaster recovery efforts.
Written by Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church.