The City of Ridgefield is preparing to launch a new rental assistance program in May, partnering with local nonprofit Compassion 360 to help residents facing short-term financial hardship find stability.
The program, approved by the Ridgefield City Council in March, will provide up to $50,000 in total funding this year, with individual households eligible for up to $5,000 in lifetime assistance. City officials say the program is designed to stabilize residents before financial challenges spiral into housing loss. The program will use revenue from a state-authorized sales-and-use tax credit dedicated to affordable housing efforts.
Compassion 360, a faith-based nonprofit founded in 2014 and located at the Ridgefield Church of the Nazarene in downtown Ridgefield, plays a central role in the effort. The organization provides food, clothing and other essentials to families in need, including through its free grocery-style program known as “The Market.” Through the new partnership, Compassion 360 will help connect residents to rental assistance and evaluate their broader needs. The Ridgefield Family Resource Center will also partner with the city.
“The city's program is amazing, and the fact that they have it down to a decent income bracket,” Compassion 360 Director Wendy Lehner said. “I think that we're going to be able to help, through the city's funding, the majority of the people who find themselves in trouble.”
Applicants will not apply directly through the city. Instead, they will work with Compassion 360 or the Ridgefield Family Resource Center, which already assists residents with food, clothes, and other services. Both organizations will act as the first point of contact, helping to identify residents who qualify for the city program, guiding them through the application process, and assessing other needs.
“They are nonprofit partners in this process and they already meet with people,” City Finance Director Kirk Johnson said. “They're working with people to try to find services, whether it's food, rental assistance, utility assistance, things like that. We're really excited to be able to work with them and offer this program.”
Johnson said the approach allows the program to reach people more effectively while relying on organizations that already understand the community’s needs.
To qualify for the city program, applicants must live within the Ridgefield city limits and have a household income at or below 60% of the area median income. Assistance is paid directly to landlords and can cover up to a full month’s rent, up to the $5,000 lifetime cap.
Compassion 360 Director Wendy Lehner says the partnership builds on years of similar work. The nonprofit has operated its own housing stability fund for about four years, funded by a private donor who contributes roughly $10,000 annually. The program helps residents with short-term financial gaps before they fall behind on rent or utilities.
Unlike the city program, which requires applicants to live within Ridgefield city limits and meet income thresholds, Compassion 360’s assistance is more flexible. That allows the nonprofit to support residents who may not qualify for city funds. The goal is to provide short-term help before a crisis worsens, assisting those temporarily struggling, not those already facing eviction.
“There'll be a whole bunch of people that won't be eligible for the city's program, but for (those eligible), we will definitely use their money first and then use our funding to support people that fall through the cracks with the city,” Lehner said.
In one recent example, Lehner said the organization helped a woman whose car broke down, preventing her from working. After confirming repairs were underway, Compassion 360 covered her rent for a month so she could return to work and regain stability. In another case, the nonprofit assisted a family dealing with serious illness and lost income, helping them stay housed during a difficult period.
“It's those scenarios that (cause) people who live in Ridgefield to get into rental problems,” she said.
As the program rolls out, nonprofit partners plan to track who applies and who qualifies. That data could shape future eligibility requirements, depending on the city’s discretion.
“This is a small community and it takes a village,” Lehner said. “With our partnership with the city and the school district, we're just here to serve our communities, all of us, and it's not about who does the better job or who gets the notoriety. It's just about coming together and working together.”
City officials expect the program to open around May 1, with applications handled through Compassion 360 and the Family Resource Center. Readers can learn more about both programs at compassion360.org and ridgefieldsd.org/page/family-resource-cen
