On February 25, 2021 from 5:30-6:30PM, Arm In Arm will premier This Is Home, A Celebration of Home and Triumph of Community, a virtual event featuring Matthew Desmond, the Pulitzer prize winning author of “Evicted.” This hour long event will honor Arm In Arm volunteers and supporters while also taking a deeper look into the eviction crisis and what it really means for community members in Mercer County, NJ.
As it has in most cities, the eviction epidemic has plagued our communities. In New Jersey, the statistics are staggering. Despite a moratorium on evictions, more than 40,000 new eviction cases have been filed in New Jersey since the onset of the pandemic. According to Eviction Lab in Princeton, “The data suggest that the current economic crisis is causing more renters to fall further behind on rent and that most of those renters live in low-income neighborhoods. Under normal circumstances many landlords file to evict tenants after their first month of partial or missed rent. Eviction moratoria allow tenants to stay in their homes without making full rent payments, but do not remove the obligation to pay. While emergency protections have stalled evictions and temporarily kept people in their homes, they have not stalled rents. Most households that find themselves two, three, or four months behind on rent will not be able to repay that debt on their own.” These statistics have everyone wondering what will happen when the moratorium is lifted.
David R. Fox, Arm In Arm’s Executive Director, is actively seeking funds to help an already struggling community offset the blow of the anticipated ‘evictions tsunami’: “While incredibly challenging, the pandemic has also brought forth an outpouring of generosity from our community. This Is Home will provide us an opportunity to celebrate all those who are helping us weather this storm. Also, we believe that the effects of this crisis will be felt for years to come. Having Dr. Desmond’s perspective and insight will help us unite our community in purposeful action. Whatever the challenges, we believe that together we can find ways to help our neighbors stay in their homes.”
Attendance for this event is FREE to all. Attendees and Partners will be sent a link to This Is Home one week prior to the event. All Partnerships will be recognized at the event with a listing of their name, or logo as This is Home Partners and will receive a copy of Matthew Desmond’s book, “Evicted.” To register to attend or to purchase a partnership, visit www.arminarm.org/thisishome .
Every $2,000 in Partnership/Donation Dollars, will provide food, housing and utilities assistance to one family/household for a month. The Event will be livestreamed on the Arm In Arm Website, Facebook, and Youtube account. For more questions or concerns, contact Maureen Hunt, Arm In Arm’s CDO at Maureenh@arminarm.org.
Arm In Arm is a non-profit, 501 (c) organization that provides food and financial support to Trenton and Mercer County residents in need. Formerly known as The Crisis Ministry, we were founded in 1980 by leaders of Nassau Presbyterian Church and Trinity Church in Princeton to help community members who were struggling financially. Today twenty staff members and hundreds of volunteers welcome more than 4,000 families to our food pantries, work with 600 at-risk families to prevent or end homelessness, and offer on-the-job training and job search mentoring. Arm In Arm does not endorse any religious or political viewpoint.