Nine months ago when the pandemic triggered San Francisco’s first shelter-in-place, we didn’t know we’d be back in lockdown today. We didn’t know exactly what ministry would look like, but we did know that our families were going to need help. The Hispanic community in San Francisco has been exponentially impacted by the coronavirus—exposure to the virus as frontline workers, loss of income from industries most affected by the pandemic, or both.

Our immediate response was to launch the Brighter Futures Benevolence fund to help families with emergency expenses. Almost every family needed help paying rent due to their sudden loss of income. With generous gifts from those in our BJM community, we helped pay back rent, made connections for groceries and support services, and walked alongside families to provide emotional and spiritual support. We paid nearly a full month’s rent for 13 different families. Based on need, we covered an additional month of rent for another 8 families. Our total distribution was nearly $25,000! Your donations to Brighter Futures as well as swift legislative protections have kept families housed. Because home matters.

But in January, all of this hard work could be erased.The current law requires families to pay 25% of their back rent by January 31st. The Brighter Futures fund relieved some of the financial pressure from back rent. But not all of it. Families returned to work as soon as possible, only to face cuts again. And yet the January deadline looms.

If families make it past the January deadline, they face another just a month away. By the end of February, the balance of all back rent is due, or else families may face collection efforts and possible eviction. Many in the BJM community do not have a clear path to paying back rent in time.

Yet, we IMAGINE a brighter future for our families. We choose to stand upon the truth that God is with us every step of the way, that He has offered us a gift of abundant life. We have seen God provide before, and we know that in His generosity, He will provide again.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). He is before all things, and in Him, all things are held together (Colossians 1:17). We trust His heart for families in the Tenderloin, and we trust Him to provide. Would you be a part of that provision?

When SF entered shelter in place again in December, one mom shared, “I’m not scared this time.”

BJM has already committed 10% of our year-end income to the Brighter Futures fund, plus anything raised above and beyond our goal by December 31st. Our goal is to double our Brighter Futures fund and continue to make emergency rent payments to keep families housed. We can’t do it alone. We hope you’ll join us in saying, Because Home Matters. Visit bjm-imagine.funraise.org to give.

Home Matters - Brighter Futures Fund Update