Dubuque Times

In the City of Dubuque, Catholic Charities Archdiocese, a nonprofit organization with a goal to reduce poverty, is saying many people are struggling from the COVID-19 pandemic, especially with the city having a lack of housing assistance applications. 

“Rent seems to be a stumbling block for many families,” Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Dubuque Executive Director Tracy Morrison told KCRG ABC News. “It is a substantial portion of a person’s monthly income.”

The charity has been helping those that it can, but the problem still needs to be addressed by city officials, they said.

“When an individual or family has a stable home or roof over their heads they can focus their energies on being a good parent or productive employee, but when you are worried that you might not even have a home to come home to, you are not being productive in other areas of your life,” she told KCRG. “So having stable housing really affects all facets of a person’s life and this is especially true since the pandemic.”

Alexis Steger, the City of Dubuque’s housing director, said people can be eligible for the CDC's eviction moratorium, which would make it illegal for them to be evicted. But to be eligible, residents have to show they have done their best to obtain government assistance with rent.

“We are seeing less applications than we had anticipated and we just think that people are not hearing about the program,” she told KCRG. “Landlords are saying they have renters that would qualify but we are not seeing those renters apply through the program.”

There is currently a Short-Term Assistance Program in the city, which will provide $1,000 for rent or mortgage a month for three months. She also said the city council is working on ways to spread the word of the program. 

More information on the program can be found on the city's website.