Arwatha Whitfield had successfully maintained her rental unit for over 20 years until one summer her nieces came to stay with her and did not leave! She did not want to kick her family out to the streets, but eventually her owner served her a notice to vacate. When she moved out, the rental market was out of her reach. While she looked for a new unit, she stayed with friends and family, and slept in shelters and on park benches; she was homeless for over a year. The Homeless Incentive Program (HIP) helped Arwatha during this difficult time. She felt that HIP staff went “above and beyond” for her. Without HIP’s help, she doesn’t think she would have ever been able to find a place to live. HIP followed-up with landlords for status updates on units, provided transportation, and even helped pay for her rental application fees and security deposit. On April 19, 2018, Arwatha leased and moved into
her new home.
