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After Hurricane Helene, one local parent’s work hours were reduced to just a few hours a week. She was caring for her children, attending school at night, and looking for a job that would provide more reliable income. At the same time, problems with her apartment’s rent re-certification, the process used to set her rent based on her income, left her facing a balance of nearly $3,000. With help from an attorney, she was working to get the rent corrected. While she focused on that urgent problem, her electric bill grew to approximately $2,700 and came up for disconnection. The power was eventually turned off. Because one of her children uses an electric nebulizer for asthma, the family had to stay with relatives until the situation could be stabilized. The Arc’s staff worked overtime to make sure assistance funds were ready as quickly as possible. Their work helped the family address the urgent utility need and regain some stability. For this family, timely assistance was about more than paying a bill—it helped them return home safely. Her experience shows how quickly overlapping challenges can become a health and safety emergency—and why timely assistance matters.
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