Zakah Aid and Charity Assisting Humanity

Rental assistance - providing rental Aid to ensure people do not lose their housing. Zacah's mission is to intervene before families face imminent threat of eviction, and so the goal of the program is to prevent homelessness by Assisting households experiencing housing insecurity and risk of displacement. Any individual who is at risk of receiving an eviction filing, or has already received one, may apply for assistance to the program, and the organization assesses how best to provide assistance. Rental assistance was provided to 241 households in 2022, in the form of a) payments to reduce/eliminate household's existing rent balance and debt and b) security deposit and/or first month rent payments to assist unhoused people with moving into housing.

Afghan housing assistance - providing rental assistance to newly arrived afghan refugee households facing housing insecurity. From september 2021 through september 2022, Minnesota welcomed 1,363 evacuees from afghanistan through the operation allies federal program, many of whom are women and children. Zacah has partnered with dhs to disperse rental assistance funds (damage/security deposits, first month of rent, and/or ongoing monthly rent subsidies) and the organization assesses the appropriateness of need (eligibility) in providing assistance in coordination with partnering referral agencies. A total of 162 applications for rental assistance were received in 2022 through the afghan housing subsidy program.

Financial hardship assistance - providing financial Aid to households experiencing severe cost burden (spending more than half of income on rent) by covering expenses that are essential in maintaining housing. This Aid generally concerns utility bills and car payments, but we also offer support with expenses such as childcare, moving expenses, and other necessities that are central to people's health and wellbeing. Any individual struggling financially with these essentials may apply for assistance to the program and the organization assesses the appropriateness of need in providing assistance. A total of 55 applications for financial assistance were received in 2022 through zacah's regular programming.