WILMINGTON — The Central YMCA has all the amenities one would expect — a gym, pools, a sauna — but there’s also something unexpected: 180 rooms for those in need.
Now, the spaces are even more accessible, with the Y’s participation in the Delaware State Rental Assistance Program.
As part of the initiative, Delaware State Housing Authority representatives distribute vouchers to those referred by either the Department of Health and Social Services or the Department of Services for Children, Youth & Their Families. The vouchers can be used for rental housing.
According to the housing authority’s director of public relations Laurie Stovall, users contribute 28% of their monthly income to rent, with the rest covered by the program.
Nicole Freedman, YMCA of Delaware’s executive director of government relations, explained why the partnership is beneficial.
“In order to be sustainable, we have to have multiple sources of revenue and of opportunity to just ensure that we can keep our doors open, all 180 of them, right? And so, we have a variety of programs that we participate in to ensure that we’re not relying upon just one program because, at any point, (the funding could end),” she said.