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For more than 20 years, Linda Roach has lived off of Social Security disability to survive.

However, in the last couple of years, housing costs have become so challenging that after an unexpected expense, things snowballed to the point that Roach, 61, is set to be evicted from her home with little hope of getting emergency rental assistance. Stories like hers are far from unique in Victoria or across the country.

òòò½ÊÓƵœThere is no affordable rent anymore,òòò½ÊÓƵ� Roach said.

Snowballing

Sheòòò½ÊÓƵ™s on disability as a result of developing complex regional pain syndrome òòò½ÊÓƵ” a chronic condition characterized by severe burning pain, most often affecting one of the extremities òòò½ÊÓƵ” after trying to surgically repair carpal tunnel syndrome that she developed as part of her then-office job.

In the last two years, she said she had to leave her home for an apartment because of the cost. That apartment became too expensive, leading her to her current residence, where she supports her daughter and her grandchildren as the sole household income.

òòò½ÊÓƵœ(Disability) definitely doesnòòò½ÊÓƵ™t go as far, and rents are going up everywhere,òòò½ÊÓƵ� Roach said.

They were getting by, even with a water leak that increased monthly costs, until her vehicle needed repairs, she said. That cost has had her playing catchup ever since with her family having to decide what bills to pay, such as electricity, phone and rent. She now owes $3,000 in back rent.

Should she be evicted, she will likely have nowhere to go as there is no homeless shelter for families or women in Victoria, and the closest family they have is in Massachusetts, Roach said.

The situation is something that many across the country and in Victoria òòò½ÊÓƵ struggle with, according to national and local statistics.

Half of all Americans have less than $500 in their savings account to deal with emergency expenses, Thirty-six percent of those surveyed have less than $100 in their savings account.

In 2021, 45% of Victoria òòò½ÊÓƵòòò½ÊÓƵ™s population was below the Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) threshold, a measurement of those living below the basic cost of living,

This is while the country is struggling with an affordable housing crisis, as cost burdens, paying more than 30% of income on housing, have reached record highs, Among homeowners, 22.7% were cost-burdened, the highest it has been since 2013, and among renters, it is even worse with 49% being cost-burdened, an all-time high.

Trying to get help

Two nonprofits in Victoria offer emergency rental assistance: Midcoast Family Services and Community Action Committee.

Midcoast Family Services opens applications during a specific period every month with many lining up as early as 4 a.m. the first day it is available, said Kim Pickens, Humility Project co-founder and director.

Roach has been trying to get assistance from Community Action Committee, but due to the bureaucratic process, she has been unable to get it, she said.

òòò½ÊÓƵœIòòò½ÊÓƵ™ve gone to Midcoast a few times. Theyòòò½ÊÓƵ™ll give me an application and tell me they have no plugs. Even though they had a big announcement that they had just gotten a lot of funding,òòò½ÊÓƵ� she said. òòò½ÊÓƵœThey just donòòò½ÊÓƵ™t have any funding to be able to help me.òòò½ÊÓƵ�

With Community Action, the main challenge has been bureaucratic. Roach brings the paperwork they asked for her to her scheduled appointment, but she if she is missing something, she has to start the process over again to get another appointment, which takes extensive time on the phone to arrange.

It has taken weeks between appointments, she said.

òòò½ÊÓƵœI donòòò½ÊÓƵ™t know why they call it emergency (assistance), so far, itòòò½ÊÓƵ™s been over a month that Iòòò½ÊÓƵ™ve been trying to get this done,òòò½ÊÓƵ� Roach said in February. òòò½ÊÓƵœIt doesnòòò½ÊÓƵ™t make sense to me why they will call it emergency because to me. With an emergency, you would process it right away.òòò½ÊÓƵ�

She had two appointments with Community Action, she said.

òòò½ÊÓƵœWhen I went to the second appointment, I brought the paperwork they said I was missing, and then she said, òòò½ÊÓƵ˜Well, do you have the application?òòò½ÊÓƵ™ No, I gave it to you. She says, òòò½ÊÓƵ˜Oh, I gave it back to you,òòò½ÊÓƵ™òòò½ÊÓƵ� Roach said. òòò½ÊÓƵœApparently, she put it in a tan envelope and gave it to me. I just remembered seeing the sheet that said what I was missing, so I told her òòò½ÊÓƵ˜Well, I can go home and get it. I know where everything is.òòò½ÊÓƵ™ She said, òòò½ÊÓƵ˜We canòòò½ÊÓƵ™t do that. You have to call and reschedule another appointment.òòò½ÊÓƵ™òòò½ÊÓƵ�

She finally got through on the phone and scheduled a third appointment this week after being told she would be evicted by her landlord last week.

òòò½ÊÓƵœIòòò½ÊÓƵ™m probably going to end up on the street,òòò½ÊÓƵ� Roach said.

Sheòòò½ÊÓƵ™s far from alone either, as Pickens, who works with many dealing with housing insecurity, has had people tell her they experienced the same issues.

òòò½ÊÓƵœIn all my time working with people with housing insecurity in the area, this is the first time I feel there isnòòò½ÊÓƵ™t anyone I can reliably point to to help out with rental assistance,òòò½ÊÓƵ� she said.

In 2023, Victoria òòò½ÊÓƵ saw a 10-year-high of 717 evictions, according to Victoria òòò½ÊÓƵ justice of the peace records.

Itòòò½ÊÓƵ™s also a struggle for landlords because they are put in the difficult situation of making decisions about peopleòòò½ÊÓƵ™s lives, wondering if the aid for the residents will come, The Grove owner Peter Farkas said.

Farkas and his partners make a point of trying to make housing affordable for those on the lower income scale and work with nonprofits like Midcoast when a resident is in need, he said.

òòò½ÊÓƵœThe challenge that we as owners have is not that theyòòò½ÊÓƵ™re unresponsive by any means. Theyòòò½ÊÓƵ™re trying. Itòòò½ÊÓƵ™s really a question of financial resources,òòò½ÊÓƵ� Farkas said.

Heòòò½ÊÓƵ™s had residents who go to organizations like Community Action and Midcoast for assistance and tries to help them in the process, but at a certain point, it becomes a challenge to avoid repossessing the unit, he said.

òòò½ÊÓƵœItòòò½ÊÓƵ™s a big challenge what to do, and it hurts to have to say, òòò½ÊÓƵ˜We donòòò½ÊÓƵ™t know what else to do but to ask you for the key,òòò½ÊÓƵ™òòò½ÊÓƵ� Farkas said.

More than donations are needed

That accumulation period is felt by the resources as well, particularly with Community Action and is partially why the process with Roach has taken so long, said Tiffany Ross, Community Action family outreach director.

òòò½ÊÓƵœWe service nine counties for rental, so it makes it hard if they come in and they donòòò½ÊÓƵ™t have their application. They just drop it off. It sits there, and then they tell the landlords that we have the paperwork and are waiting on us when their paperwork is actually incomplete, so that is the importance of why we have scheduled appointments,òòò½ÊÓƵ� Ross said. òòò½ÊÓƵœWe run them back-to-back-to-back. If they donòòò½ÊÓƵ™t have it, theyòòò½ÊÓƵ™re turned away with all of their information because so many people are trying to get in and it helps us. We would have mountains of paperwork if they were just to leave them here.òòò½ÊÓƵ�

The struggle to get through to schedule an appointment is because there is so much demand and only so much staff and money that can be allocated to address it, she said.

òòò½ÊÓƵœIf we were to make an exception for one, we would have to make an exception for everyone,òòò½ÊÓƵ� Ross said.

Community Action has $378,000 budgeted for its rental assistance program. Of the budget, $275,000 goes to helping clients with about $18,000 distributed monthly so they can provide assistance throughout the year, Ross said.

That $18,000 can go to as few as three people because rental debts have run so high for those seeking assistance, she said.

òòò½ÊÓƵœWe could very easily spend our entire budget within a month,òòò½ÊÓƵ� Ross said. òòò½ÊÓƵœWeòòò½ÊÓƵ™re limited on a schedule because of the amount of money that we have per month.òòò½ÊÓƵ�

Itòòò½ÊÓƵ™s stressful because these programs are often these peopleòòò½ÊÓƵ™s last hope, she said.

Community Action is seeking additional grants to provide further aid, but it is a competitive process, Ross said.

òòò½ÊÓƵœWe are looking into different avenues because we know weòòò½ÊÓƵ™re underfunded and underserved here,òòò½ÊÓƵ� she said.

For Midcoast, they open applications for rental assistance at the same time every month, and theyòòò½ÊÓƵ™re gone as soon as they open, Organization CEO Ginny Stafford said.

òòò½ÊÓƵœWe are able to help about 15 families a month, and we probably have three to four times that apply,òòò½ÊÓƵ� Stafford said. òòò½ÊÓƵœWe do prioritize and try to help the people that have the most barriers and also the most ability to maintain their own housing once our help discontinues, but, yeah, thereòòò½ÊÓƵ™s not enough money to go around.òòò½ÊÓƵ�

The limit on approval is so that the organization doesnòòò½ÊÓƵ™t run out of funds to provide assistance at the end of the year, she said.

Midcoast has about $300,000 in its budget, which pays for their emergency shelter for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence and rental assistance is likely to spend all of it before the financial year is up, she said.

òòò½ÊÓƵœWeòòò½ÊÓƵ™ve been doing rental assistance since the early 2000s, but it seems to be escalating every year,òòò½ÊÓƵ� Stafford said. òòò½ÊÓƵœWeòòò½ÊÓƵ™re trying to pace ourselves, so some of the most vulnerable families that happen to come at the end of the year donòòò½ÊÓƵ™t just get left out due to the calendar.òòò½ÊÓƵ�

More funding would be nice, but more needs to be done to create more resources not just for affordable housing but income-based housing, low-income housing and public housing, she said.

òòò½ÊÓƵœWhat we know is a single mom who comes in here, even if sheòòò½ÊÓƵ™s got a decent job, making more than minimum wage, sheòòò½ÊÓƵ™s probably not going to be able to pay rent, a car payment, her insurance and groceries,òòò½ÊÓƵ� Stafford said. òòò½ÊÓƵœItòòò½ÊÓƵ™s almost impossible for a single income individual to make it, period, and what is considered affordable rent, say at $750 a month is considered affordable, they have to make three times that even be eligible for a lease.òòò½ÊÓƵ�

Seventy-five percent of households of single women with children in 2021 were below Victoria òòò½ÊÓƵòòò½ÊÓƵ™s ALICE threshold, and overall, the countyòòò½ÊÓƵ™s population below the ALICE threshold has likely gotten worse as pandemic resources and protections expired in the last two years, said Bethany Castro, United Way of the Crossroads executive director.

Castro sees many of the needs of local nonprofits through her position, and all of them are struggling to meet the demands of those they serve.

The United Way of the Crossroads opened up applications to nonprofits for project funding and received 21 applications, she said. The total ask is $200,000 more than the funds the organization has available.

òòò½ÊÓƵœWe have a couple of organizations that carry a heavy load when it comes to people in need in our community. They are underfunded and understaffed,òòò½ÊÓƵ� Pickens said. òòò½ÊÓƵœWe need to work together to maximize how they function so we can identify gaps. We have to stop being afraid to say when systems arenòòò½ÊÓƵ™t working because we all know the system is broken. Itòòò½ÊÓƵ™s past time to sit down and have real discussions as organizations as to what we can and canòòò½ÊÓƵ™t do. We need to involve our city and county officials so we can plan for real change that gives us stronger communities.òòò½ÊÓƵ�

Many factors have contributed to the current circumstances, such as wages not keeping up with the cost of living, inflation, housing prices, supply chain issues, and more, Castro said.

Overall, the affordable housing crisis could be ended through income increases, but without intervention, it is likely to end in about 3.5 years,

Stories like Roachòòò½ÊÓƵ™s can happen to anybody, Castro said. Some of the very staff that work at these nonprofits are struggling themselves.

More funding would be great, but many of the funds that come from government and grant institutions come with so many rules that itòòò½ÊÓƵ™s challenging to get the money to the people in need, she said. The other issue is that money often canòòò½ÊÓƵ™t go to staff, so those emergency resources are understaffed and underfunded to meet the demand they see.

òòò½ÊÓƵœEven if everyone who could donate gave as much as they could, it still wouldnòòò½ÊÓƵ™t address the overall problem,òòò½ÊÓƵ� Castro said. òòò½ÊÓƵœMoney alone isnòòò½ÊÓƵ™t going to fix the issues that those who rely on the resources face. We need to come together as nonprofits and as a community to try and figure out how to address the problem before it gets to the point of needing emergency services.òòò½ÊÓƵ�