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Comment

AS A COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATION WHO PROVIDES DIRECT ASSISTANCE TO INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING EMERGENCY NEEDS WITH FOOD, RENT, UTILITIES, TRANSPORTATION, COPAYMENTS AMONG OTHER THINGS. SINCE THE PANDEMIC WE HAVE BEEN PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO FAMILIES WITH DISABILITIES PRIMARILY BUT ALSO DUE TO THE NEED THE GENERAL COMMUNITY AS WELL. IN THE LAST MONTH OUR REQUEST FOR RENTAL ASSISTANCE HAS INCREASED EXPONENTIONALLY DUE TO THE ENDING OF MANY ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS IMPLEMENTED DURING COVID BUT ALSO THE RISING RENTAL RATES AND THE UNREALISTIC RENTAL REQUIREMENTS, BEING THAT WE ARE A SMALL GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATION,THE RECENT INFLUX OF HOUSING ASSISTANCE REQUEST HAS CAUSED US TO HAVE TO SHUT DOWN PROVIDING RENTAL ASSISTANCE AS WE DO NOT HAVE THE CAPACITY TO PROVIDE THAT LEVEL OF ASSITANCE TO ENOUGH INDIVIDUALS TO MAKE A REAL IMPACT. WE ARE RECIVING REQ FROM INDIVIDUALS WHO FIRST WENT TO MANY OF THE PLACES 211 REFERS TO FOR RENTAL ASSISTANCE FROM UNITED WAY, CATHOLIC CHARITIES, SALVATION ARMY AND OTHER LARGER ORGANIZATIONS WHO RECIEVE TREMENDOUS FUNDING FROM DONORS IN THE COMMUNITY, THE CITY AND THE GOVERNMENT. WHEN THESE PEOPLE COME TO US A SMALL ORGANIZATION WITH BARELY A SIX FIGURE REVENUE, THEY ARE ON THEIR LAST LEG, THEY HAVE BEEN TURNED AWAY DUE TO LACK OF FUNDING FROM THE LARGER ORGANIZATIONS. THEY HAVE NO ONE TO TURN TO. THE CITY GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO DO MORE TO SUPPORT THOSE OFTEN WORKING CLASS CITIZENS WHO 3 YEARS AGO COULD AFFORD TO LIVE IN A 3 BEDROOM HOME ON THEIR SALARY AND NOW CAN BARELY AFFORD A ONE BEDROOM APART. MORE FUNDING NEEDS TO BE ALLOCATED TO SMALLER GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS WHO CONSITENTLY MEET THE PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE AND PROVIDE ASSISTANCE WITH HOUSING AND UTILITIES ON MODEST BUDGETS. I AM ALSO SEEING THAT THESE PROGRAMS ARE NOW ADDING SEVERAL LAYERS OF ELIGIBILITY TO MAKE IT NEAR POSSIBLE FOR ONE TO QUALIFY FOR ASSISTANCE UNDER THE GUISE THEY ARE TRYING TO PREVENT ABUSE. NO THEY ARE OVER WORKED AND THEY ARE TRYING TO LESSEN THEIR WORK LOAD , I HAVE SPOKEN TO INDIVIDUALS WHO AT ONCE EASILY QUALIFIED FOR CHAP AND OTHER ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS BUT WHEN THEY USED THE SAME INFORMATION TO APPLY AGAIN THEY WERE MADE TO KEEP SENDING IN SAME INFO OVER AND OVER UNTIL AFTER A WHILE THE WORKER SAYS THEY MISSED DEADLINE OR THEY DID NOT QUALIFY WITH INFO PROVIDED. I EVEN SPEAK TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO ARE ALL BUT TOLD BY WORKERS OF THESE PROGRAMS NOT TO APPLY, THEY TELL THEM ABOUT THEIR LARGE CASELOADS, THEY TELL THEM HOW SOMEONE WHO SEEMINGLY IS IN A WORSE POSITION WAS DENIED AS IF TO SAY IF THEY COULDNT BE APPROVED NO WAY YOU CAN. THE COMMUNITY IS PAYING FOR THE GOVERNMENTS MISHANDLING OF THE PANDEMIC AND THE FUNDS THEY WERE PROVIDED TO ASSIST PEOPLE EXPERIENCING A NEED FOR RENTAL ASSISTANCE AND THEY ARE TAKING IT OUT ON THE COMMUNITY, RATHER THAN GET MORE WORKERS THEY ARE ENCOURAGING THEM NOT TO EVEN APPLY FOR ASSISTANCE. THEY POUR ALL OF THE RESOURCES INTO LARGER ORGANIZATIONS AND FORGET ITS SMALLER ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HELP PEOPLE QUICKER AND MORE EFFICIENTLY THAN LARGER ORGANIZATIONS, THEY JUST DONT CARRY HOUSEHOLD NAMES AND LOGOS THAT ONE WOULD EASILY RECOGNIZE BUT THE WORK THEY DO IS JUST AS IMPACTFUL. I AM FROM CALIFORNIA WHERE THE LANDLORD/ TENANT PROTECTIONS ARE MUCH MORE FAVORABLE FOR TENANTS, SOME MAY SAY TOO MUCH BUT IS IT WHEN LANDLORDS ARE RAISING RENT SOMETIMES $500-700 ANNUALLY FOR AN APARTMENT THAT HAS NOT HAD ANYTHING NEW OR REMODELED IN IT. PEOPLE ARE FORCED TO STAY IN PLACES THAT MAY BE UNDESIRABLE OR UNINHABITANBLE BECAUSE THEY DONT HAVE $5000 TO MOVE TO ANOTHER APARTMENT OR $10K FOR A HOUSE RENTAL, THEY DONT HAVE A 700+FICO TO RENT AN APARTMENT, OR 3XS THE RENT FOR A 1 BEDROOM, THEY DONT WANT TO PROVIDE THEIR W2, 5 CHECK STUBS, PLUS THEIR BANKSTATEMENT JUST TO RENT A HOME, OR PAY 3 MONTHS IN ADVANCE RENT BECAUSE LANDLORD IS SCARED FROM THEIR EXPERIENCE DURING THE PANDEMIC, WHICH WAS NO FAULT OF THE COMMUNITY BUT RESIDENTS ACROSS NEVADA ARE PAYING DEARLY FOR SOMETHING THAT WAS BEYOND THEIR CONTROL. I ASK THAT THE STATE FIGURES OUT A WAY TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE IMPROVING TENANT PROTECTIONS WHILE ALSO BEING MINDFUL OF LANDLORDS WHO ARE PROVIDING A VITAL SERVICE THROUGH HOUSING. THE MOST IMMEDIATE THING THAT SHOULD BE DONE IS AN ANNUAL RENT CAP AS WELL AS A CAP ON THE AMOUNT THAT IS REQUIRED FOR MOVE IN. I THINK 2-2.5X RENT IS MORE REALISTIC FOR MOST, THERE ALMOST NO WAY THE AVERAGE FAMILY BRINGS IN 12K A MONTH TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD A $2500 A MONTH HOUSE. OUR CHILDREN WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO RENT AN APARTMENT OR HOME AT THIS RATE AND WITH THE INTEREST RATE ON HOMES, THEY MAY NOT EVEN BE ABLE TO BUY A HOME UNTIL THEY ARE 40 OR 50 IF THEN