MADISON, Wis. — The hardships of the pandemic have forced people out of their homes, put businesses out of work and increased unemployment rates. The Beacon staff have been working under more stressful conditions to try to help as many people as possible get back on their feet.
“I don’t think people realize just how easy it is to become homeless,” said Beacon’s Community Partner Relations Specialist Nici Hawkins.
Hawkins said she’s seen people from all walks of life asking for help over the past year.
“A lot of businesses closed down, hours were cut,” she said. “So we do have quite a few people that were here for those reasons. Even people that were in transition to Madison for work and then they got here and the job was not available.”
The Beacon has always helped paired people with resources to help them get back on their feet, but the past year has only exacerbated the reasons why people ask for help. During an interview with News 3 Now’s Jamie Perez, Hawkins recalled the story of a Madison man who was a working professional and making a good salary, but became homeless.
“His mom in Chicago caught COVID and he left to go take care of her and in that timeframe, he lost his job, he lost his place. So, when he got back to Madison, it was like starting back all over again.”
Beacon Program Director Kimberly Tesch recalled another story of a woman she encountered:
“A few months back, we had a single mother who was working as a CNA find herself homeless. She was in a living situation that was not healthy so they had to leave their situation and that brought them to our doorstep.”
Hawkins and Tesch also said they’ve seen some people show up to the Beacon after being evicted during the pandemic, not knowing there were federal rules in place to protect them from losing their homes. Tesch said a big problem she hears about often is from those who already had issues finding housing before the pandemic began.
“If they have poor rental history, poor credit score, evictions on their record or any type of criminal background, a lot of places will not house them. Those are huge barriers that they have to overcome,” Tesch said. “They paid their debt to society but they are still being ostracized by society.”
Last year, the Beacon referred more than 250 people to housing assistance and other resources, according to Tesch.
She predicts that they will start to see even more people to show up at their doorstep asking for help when the federal eviction moratorium expires.
Hawkins asked that more members of the community remain non-judgmental of those who become homeless for one reason or another. She also asks that people learn about the local resources available to help so that other community members can assist someone who may need help in the future.
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