Adams County has initiated a $300,000 fund to provide emergency mortgage and rental assistance to households that are at risk of eviction or foreclosure during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“When I was raising my children alone we spent many years being one paycheck away from being homeless,” wrote Commissioner Eva Henry on Twitter. “At times we would lose that paycheck. I am intimately aware of what a lot of families are going through during this crisis.”

The Adams County Foundation, which in 2019 provided almost $900,000 to nonprofit groups, made the initial donation for the assistance fund. The county is asking for further contributions, and Maiker Housing Partners will evaluate applications and distribute the money. Adams County households that earn $75,000 or less are eligible.

Maiker is also accepting applications for the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, which provides four months of funding for households with dependent children.

Earlier this week, the Denver City Council unanimously passed a resolution calling on Gov. Jared Polis to suspend rent and mortgage payments as more than 230,000 Coloradans filed for unemployment benefits in the last four weeks. The governor’s office responded that infringing upon “the sanctity of contract is not within the emergency powers of any governor or President.”

The federal CARES Act provided for a 120-day moratorium on some evictions and billions of dollars in rental assistance, but since its passage organizations representing housing providers have called for additional financial help to all entities with a stake in the housing industry.