Operation HOPE, the nation's largest non-profit dedicated to financial empowerment for underserved communities, today announced the launch of its Helping Hand Fund. In response to the recent end to the CDC eviction moratorium, the Helping Hand Fund has made an initial $500,000 commitment to offer relief to renters facing eviction as a result of the impact of COVID-19 and its associated economic hardship. The initiative also aligns with Operation HOPE's mission to address the real-time needs of individuals, particularly from underserved populations, who can benefit from access to education and available resources that improve their ability to take control of their finances.  Fund eligibility requirements are outlined at https://operationhope.org/helping-hand-fund.

"Access to housing is a moral imperative and a core American value. We created the Helping Hand Fund to help bridge the gap for families who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic – often those in underserved communities that are typically left behind," said Operation HOPE Founder, Chairman and CEO John Hope Bryant. "We are confident that our efforts will offer a 'hand up–not a handout' and help those who are experiencing instability during this unprecedented and difficult time."

According to recent data from the independent Center on Budget & Policy Priorities, more than 11 million adult renters are behind on their rental payments, and with the expiration of the CDC eviction moratorium in July 2021, many are at risk of losing their homes. While $46 billion in Federal funding has been set aside to assist renters, there have been widely reported challenges in distributing those funds to the intended beneficiaries. The Helping Hand Fund will augment those state and federal efforts by offering additional temporary relief to hundreds of families this year.

"While we commend the Federal government's efforts to aid those facing eviction, details of how to access funds has not been clear and uptake has been slow," Bryant added. "The Helping Hand Fund not only meets an urgent need, but also offers access to HOPE Inside financial coaches who will provide guidance and education throughout the process."

In addition, Operation HOPE provides personalized counseling at its HOPE Inside locations, which are available to clients in 30 states as well as access to its educational and financial resources through its HOPE In Hand app. 

About Operation HOPE, Inc.

Since 1992, Operation HOPE has been moving America from civil rights to "silver rights" with the mission of making free enterprise and capitalism work for the underserved—disrupting poverty for millions of low and moderate-income youth and adults across the nation. Through its community uplift model, HOPE Inside, which received the 2016 Innovator of the Year recognition by American Banker magazine, Operation HOPE has served more than 4 million individuals and directed more than $3.2 billion in economic activity into disenfranchised communities—turning check-cashing customers into banking customers, renters into homeowners, small business dreamers into small business owners, minimum wage workers into living wage consumers, and uncertain disaster victims into financially empowered disaster survivors. For more information:www.OperationHOPE.org. Follow the HOPE conversation onTwitter,FacebookandInstagram.

SOURCE Operation HOPE, Inc.