The United Way of Chester County has responded to the needs of the community with a COVID-19 fund. The Rapid Response Grant is intended to serve families and individuals affected by the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. In response to our request, the United Way has generously provided $2,000 to help North Star families remain in their homes. We are grateful for their support of our hardworking families.
Many of our families were immediately impacted by the closure of schools and businesses. Most parents in our program have service-oriented jobs including bus drivers, hair stylists, restaurant servers, childcare providers, and house cleaners. These workers were the first to be laid off, furloughed, or see their jobs disappear entirely. With rents due for April, some parents in need of additional funds used their tax refunds or leveraged family resources. Others were not so fortunate. Some have had their tax refunds garnished while others, especially undocumented families, do not have a tax refund. The upcoming stimulus checks will not help families like these either.
North Star of Chester County will use these funds to provide rental assistance for families in our program who have lost work due to the COVID-19 pandemic and do not have additional resources to pay their rent. We wish to thank the United Way of Chester County again for their generous funding in addition to their quick response during this time.