Prior to the pandemic, Bridgeport resident Hernandez was the sole breadwinner for this then-family of three. Hernandez, who asked to be identified by his last name only, was a full-time driver for the rideshare company Uber.
But that was cut short as soon as COVID started to spread through the state. When Hernandez found out his wife was pregnant, he made the difficult decision to stop working.
鈥淲ith COVID, someone could easily get sick and die. And with Uber, you never know who鈥檚 getting in your car. I didn鈥檛 want to lose my family,鈥� Hernandez said in Spanish.
Hernandez, like many others in the same position, tried to find other ways to stay afloat. But he quickly found himself choosing between paying his rent or providing other basic necessities for his family.
鈥淚 asked God to bless me because I didn鈥檛 have money to pay the rent,鈥� Hernandez said. 鈥淚 was desperate.鈥�
After several letters from his landlord, he said he was scared his family might be evicted.
But when he received a call from the organization Building Neighborhoods Together (BNT), he said he felt a spark of hope. BNT, formerly known as Bridgeport Neighborhood Trust, is a HUD-approved housing counseling agency in Bridgeport, and one of the state鈥檚 partners heading rental relief efforts in the area. Hernandez had made it to the top of the calling list after requesting assistance from the state鈥檚 Department of Housing.
鈥淚n the beginning, he was really stressed not knowing how to deal with the situation,鈥� said Carmen Romos, the intake specialist who made the call. 鈥淲ith COVID, being behind on rent, and being his household鈥檚 provider was very hard on him,鈥� she said.
At the time Hernandez received the call, he was five months behind on his rent.
鈥淗e initially thought that even though he would apply, there was no solution to his problem,鈥� Ramos said. 鈥淏ut I reassured him that I was there to help.鈥�
Ramos first helped Hernandez apply to the Temporary Rental Housing Assistance Program. THRAP, launched by the state in June of 2020, is now on pause. The $40 million program was funded through the CARES Act鈥檚 Coronavirus Relief Fund. The application required Hernandez sign paperwork that could not be completed online.
鈥淲hen I called him and he got the application, he was having a hard time even printing. He didn't have a printer,鈥� Ramos said.
But they didn鈥檛 allow that to be an obstacle, she added. She printed all the necessary documents, made copies for Hernandez and even reached out to his landlord to encourage participation.
鈥淗e hesitated a little bit not knowing it was a new program. It's hard to believe a program would pay back rent. The landlord was concerned about their personal situation and not being able to pay his bills and mortgage as well,鈥� Ramos said.
But with a bit of reassurance, the landlord agreed to take part. And the application was submitted.
About three months later, Hernandez was approved for $4,000.
鈥淚t was helpful,鈥� Hernandez said. 鈥淏ut it wasn鈥檛 enough.鈥�
Seven months after the first aid, Hernandez once again found himself troubled by debt.
鈥淚t was piling up even more. We called Carmen again for help,鈥� Hernandez said.
The second time around, Ramos advised them to apply for , the state鈥檚 second federally funded rental relief program. This time the application was completely online and in Spanish.
But Hernandez told Ramos he wasn鈥檛 confident navigating the application on his own.
And that hesitancy isn鈥檛 uncommon among clients. While some struggle with language barriers, others wrestle with technology.
All in all, Ramos said the key to her work is building trust.
鈥淚t's the tone of how you talk to people. How you treat them and make them feel like you care,鈥� Ramos said. 鈥淥nce he felt comfortable, he knew he could ask for help whenever he needed.鈥�
Hernandez is just one of 800 clients in need of rental assistance that have crossed Ramos鈥� desk in the last 10 months. And his case exemplifies why it鈥檚 important for her to go the extra mile, she said.
鈥淗ow anxious and hesitant they feel often makes it harder to take that first step,鈥� Ramos added. 鈥淏ut once they do it makes a big difference.鈥�
Hernandez was approved for $8,300 through Unite CT and is once again up-to-date on his rent. He is not yet comfortable going back to work with a newborn in the house, but he said he鈥檒l work it out.
鈥淚f it wasn鈥檛 for BNT and Carmen, my family and I could have ended up on the streets,鈥� Hernandez said. 鈥淚 am beyond grateful.鈥�
