Spurred by continued need amid the coronavirus’s economic devastation, McKinney nonprofit Community Lifeline Center has launched a program called One Month Away aimed at helping families pay their rent and utilities bills.

The program is aimed at families and individuals in McKinney who are not eligible for Community Lifeline Center’s existing utility-based provider programs and are also not covered by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, according to a news release from the center.

“In the past few weeks, we’ve seen a steady increase in calls coming from folks who’ve been hit with unexpected events, such as a car accident, a medical bill, or a temporary drop in income, which can push them over the financial cliff,” said Scott Elliott, the nonprofit’s executive director, in a news release. “We developed One Month Away to give our friends and neighbors in this situation some breathing room for one more month to catch up on their rent and utilities, so that they can stay in their home, with the lights on, instead of being pushed out of their homes and becoming homeless.”

The program is modeled after a similar program in San Diego that helps prevent low-income, at-risk residents from being evicted from their homes, according to the Community Lifeline Center’s news release.

In addition to this new program, the center also provides food, rent and utility assistance to local residents experiencing a short-term crisis.


“We know that there is huge risk to the stability of our community if our most vulnerable residents are forced out of their homes due to economic crisis,” Elliott said in the release. “Donations from compassionate individuals and organizations who care about keeping all McKinney neighbors in their homes will allow CLC to offer this new program. By working together to help stabilize individual families, together we can help stabilize the entire McKinney community.”

To learn more about One Month Away or to donate to the program, click here. To learn more about Community Lifeline Center, click here.