Already on the edge, thousands seek help with food and rent

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EVERETT — Lisa Hull knows the domino effect all too well.

A family that’s already struggling to get by experiences some setback — a car accident, a layoff, an ailment leading to hefty medical bills — that becomes catastrophic when they can no longer afford rent and other necessities.

Hull, who helps connect people with basic resources as the program manager for North Sound 2-1-1, is seeing the chain of events unfold more and more amid the coronavirus pandemic. People are losing their jobs — and with them, the money they need to pay for essentials.

“There’s a lot of households that are coming into that right now,” Hull said. “There’s definitely a sense of fear out there.”

In April, more than 3,600 people called the local 2-1-1 line looking for services such as rental and food assistance. That’s more than double the number of calls the agency fielded during the same month last year, Hull said. Applications for food stamps and other types of basic financial aid have surged, too, according to the state Department of Social and Health Services.

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