OVERVIEW
The economic impacts of COVID-19 were especially severe in the Coachella Valley where many jobs are supported by tourism and entertainment. In a region where a high percentage of residents already struggled to afford housing, the pandemic made it impossible for tens of thousands of residents to pay their rent. Lift to Rise was charged with administering Riverside County’s United Lift rental assistance program in the Coachella Valley.

At RALLY, my team supported Lift to Rise in spreading the word about available rental assistance and assisting people through a detailed application process. Our work included creating an application website and developing a full suite of user-friendly application resources including how-to videos.

We also reached people through online, social media, print, radio and outdoor advertising produced in both English and Spanish languages. Pop-up application clinics and other valuable services for residents were publicized through extensive earned media coverage. As of November 2021, the rental assistance program dispersed more than $105 million in rental funds to 14,278 households.