At Unlock NYC, half of our employees and 100% of our Leadership Collective have directly experienced housing discrimination, homelessness, and/or eviction. Some of us are transitioning into permanent housing, balancing our roles at Unlock NYC with caregiving responsibilities, and living in an expensive city during a supply chain crisis and a pandemic.

We built an Emergency Fund to provide financial support to our staff, interns, and advisory board to reduce the hardship caused by unexpected personal expenses. Through a simple, quick (<5 min), and private form, eligible team members can request up to $500 to cover an emergency expense. 100% of donations made through this page will fund this program.

During our 6 month pilot project (April to September 2022), we fulfilled 6 requests, with an average grant size of $410. We were able to purchase an air conditioning unit during a record-breaking heat wave, support moving expenses for two team members, cover a groceries shortage when SNAP benefits were delayed, and defray the rising cost of gas.