Local Nonprofits Fight to Keep Progressive Issues at the Forefront

Jesse Tree of Idaho, a nonprofit that works to prevent evictions and homelessness, has been inundated with calls for help. Executive Director Ali Rabe said it’s been stressful, as requests for assistance have tripled.

“Before this our community was already in a crisis,” said Rabe. “With the COVID-19 crisis we’ve had to scale up to handle the volume. We anticipate calls from 300-400 families each month, and we can’t support everyone.”

The pandemic has wreaked havoc on nonprofits, and as people struggle to provide basic necessities for themselves and their families, many bigger-picture issues may fall to the wayside. However, Rabe said the pandemic only highlights and amplifies problems that already existed.

“We’ve gotten some more support from the community,” said Rabe. “We can help about 100 families a month with services and 50-60 with rental assistance, but it’s not enough and we need to raise more money.”

Read more: https://www.idahopress.com/boiseweekly/news/citydesk/local-nonprofits-fight-to-keep-progressive-issues-at-the-forefront/article_90cb5f28-f4e1-5988-ac06-2698d2fd08dc.html