South Winston Salem News

The Lexington Housing Community Development Corporation received a grant from the United Way of Davidson County to help people pay bills related to their homes, The Dispatch reported.

The organization will provide grants for rent, mortgage or utility bills to those who have a loss of wages because of COVID-19, the news outlet reported on April 7. The grant is part of the United Way of Davidson's County's COVID-19 response program and individuals may apply for financial assistance through the housing community development's office.

The grant program will provide approximately $4,000 to those who qualify, according to Fox 8.

“These families have taken a hard hit with a lot of them being out of work,” Toby Prince, the executive director of the Lexington Housing Community Development Corporation, told Fox 8.

Prince said that this was unlike something anyone would've expected to see. He said the organization has connected with so many different families in many different situations.

“We just felt like this was a way of trying to shed a little light on a dark situation,” Prince told Fox 8.

Fox 8 reported that there are nearly 500,000 people in North Carolina who are unemployed and Lexington wants to continue helping families in Davidson County. The organization will provide families up to $300 for monthly bills, the news agency reported. The checks will be made to the utility companies or lenders.

“Each of these families will be required to do a budget counseling session over the phone for them to qualify for the funds and they do have to show loss of wages during the pandemic,” Prince told the news agency.

The organization is scheduling appointments with families so they can start to provide the money to those in need, according to the news agency.