Stillwater mother worried about being evicted as federal pause ends
Millions of Americans who fell behind on rent during the COVID-19 pandemic are in danger of losing their homes.
A federal pause on evictions has ended, and the White House says there's nothing the president can do to extend it without help from Congress.
Samantha Hurst, a stay-at-home mother in Stillwater, told KOCO 5 she's afraid she won't have the resources her family needs.
"My concern is just being able just to live right now, just to be able to keep our heads above water and feed our kids," she said.
Hurst said it's been hard to make ends meet ever since the pandemic forced her husband to switch jobs.
"We still owe rent, and we cut out all of our extras," she said. "My husband works as much as he can, and it's hard to come up with that money."
Hurst told KOCO 5 she's struggled to find a group that can actually get her assistance because they're overwhelmed.
"It would give us the opportunity to not worry about being evicted," Hurst said. "It would give us peace of mind because we'd be able to actually buy groceries for our kids."
Community Cares Partners, a group that approved Hurst but has not provided help yet, said it gets 400 applications a day. So, it has to prioritize cases.
"Our mission is that families in Oklahoma don't have to go to bed worried that they're going to have a home," said Ginny Bass Carl, executive director of Community Cares Partners.
Click here for more information about Community Cares Partners.