Emergency Relief

Eastside is often the last hope for people in need who don't meet certain guidelines to receive government funding or help from other social service agencies. Because most of our money can be given with "no strings attached," we are free to evaluate each family's need individually. This means we can help in various emergency situations such as when an eviction notice or utility disconnect has been issued, or when bus fare is needed to get to a job interview. The money for this fund comes directly from ECM's annual budget and is used in tandem with emergency funding from local churches.

A number of local churches keep emergency relief money in escrow at ECM. The churches maintain control of their funds and, with varying levels of discretion, tell us who the funds should benefit and how they should be spent. In turn, we screen the applicants and report back to the churches about what assistance was offered. The churches have the satisfaction of knowing they are helping poor people in our community and the confidence that their gifts are being used in a wise and efficient manner.