Karen Schwartz moved to Colorado from Arizona in July 2019 to live closer to her sister and parents. She started a full-time job making a good salary in October and moved into her own apartment in February. She also got a part-time job at Crate & Barrel. Then COVID-19 hit, and everything changed.

She lost her job on March 23 and was furloughed from Crate & Barrel the next day. Because she had recently moved from out of state, she didn’t have savings and wasn’t sure how she’d pay her rent.

She filed for unemployment right away. However, Karen’s claim for income earned in Arizona got lost in the system, and she was only receiving $59 a week—not nearly enough to pay her car payment and insurance, utilities, and other bills. “My landlord let me pay half of my April rent, but I didn’t know how I’d pay the other half,” Karen explains. She reached out to the City of Broomfield, which provided a list of rental assistance resources. Two organizations each provided one month’s rent before she found JFS.

Fortunately, JFS could pay her rent for July, August, and September. She met with someone at the unemployment office in early August and they were able to push her claim through. She just recently received backpay from Arizona.

Karen spent several months looking for a job in HR, accounting, and retail but struggled because of so much competition for jobs. We’re happy to report that she recently got a new job in Louisville as an operations manager for a skincare company. 

“I am eternally grateful for the support from JFS and the donations from the Jewish community,” Karen shares. “If not for the support, I would have lost my apartment and possibly put my sister in jeopardy if I had to live with her! Thankfully she is well and so are my parents!”

“I have never applied for unemployment or needed help,” says Karen. “The reality of not having a job and no way to pay rent is scary, especially when I thought I was at a stable point with my new job and new place to live. This has been life altering. There is no control over the virus, and it is no one’s fault.”

She adds, “JFS has been helpful and easy to work with. Thanks to the rental assistance, I have kept my home so I can focus on looking for a job. Words cannot describe how much I appreciate the support. I’m so fortunate to benefit from the generosity of the Jewish community.”

To help more people like Karen, please make a donation.