March 9, Robyn Dobson of the Daily Democrat published the story “Yolo County Officials Warn Supervisors of ‘Eviction Tsunami’. It brings to light that the eviction protections that were enacted at the state and local levels to protect vulnerable renters during the COVID-19 pandemic have now expired and finally hitting Yolo County.

During the board of supervisors meeting, Nolan Sullivan, director of Health and Human Services Agency, said there was an increase in people seeking assistance with back rent of up to $20,000. “We are seeing folks that are very vulnerable, older folks with a lot of medical issues. If you let the eviction go through, you probably have a death on the street or something horrendous,” Sullivan said. “It’s folks with congenital heart failure or elderly folks with stage 3 cancer. Really terrible situations that we are seeing come through the doors.”

Sadly, we here at Fourth & Hope are also seeing an increase of seniors walking through our doors at the emergency shelter. Many are finding themselves homeless for the first time. It is heartbreaking, but we’re here to keep them and others off the cold streets. From a worldwide pandemic to a job loss; through a struggle with an addiction to escaping from domestic abuse; through suffering a mental illness to a rent increase you no longer can afford… we’re here. For 38 years we’ve provided a safety net for our neighbors who slip into homelessness, and we help them bounce back and start over. Most of us live paycheck to paycheck. One day it may even be you or a loved one that we catch.

P.S. To accommodate more neighbors in need, we set up cots in our dining hall during the cold winter months.