2021-Annual-Report-FINAL-Single-Pages - Flipbook - Page 17
everyone thought. And not just in our
group but other guys and other artists.
That’s what everyone across the board
felt was going to be the norm.”
Michael and his wife decided to save their
money for food and tell their landlord they
wouldn’t be able to make rent. But they
were terrified of being evicted.
“We have a child that was born in April
and I feel extremely blessed right now to
have a roof over my head, to have a job,
for my wife to have a job and to still have
some money in the bank to hopefully
afford Christmas presents. Life’s pretty
good now, which is crazy because you’re
supposed to say it’s terrible during a
pandemic but it’s not. It’s actually been a
blessing. There are silver linings.”
His tour manager tipped him off to
Rooftop Nashville, a United Way partner
agency and recipient of grant funding
from the COVID-19 Response Fund
managed by United Way. He filled out an
application for financial assistance, and
they were able to cover his April rent.
He sent in his bills and they provided
immediate assistance by sending a check
to their landlord.
“It was very seamless and
easy,” he said. “Sometimes
when you fill out an
application like that, you
feel like you’re going to get
lost in a sea of applications.
The promptness of their
response told me there are
people that actually care.
Honestly it was humbling
because I had never had to
apply for social services.”
Eventually, Michael was able to find fulltime, local studio work. But he knows
he and his wife wouldn’t have been able
to stay afloat those first few months if it
weren’t for Rooftop.
Read more stories at
unitedwaygreaternashville.org/
united-we-win.
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