Through August 31, the federal government had assistance for those unable to pay their rents and mortgages through the CARES Act. Sadly, once that ended, evictions started. CNN recently aired a story in which police knocked on several doors of the homes of residents whose evictions had been ordered. Per the report, as many as 40 million people now face the threat of eviction due to financial uncertainty as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
It’s a heartbreaking story that will increase in volume unless the government steps in to help again, and the Houston-based hardships did not escape the notice of Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, who wants to help.
This is crazy. Someone please help me find Israel Rodriguez and the elderly women in this video. Would love to help them get back on their feet. 🙏🏾 https://t.co/FfUz5oUwDC
— Deshaun Watson (@deshaunwatson) September 3, 2020
Watson knows what it’s like to get help for your family when you’re in a bad spot. Former Buccaneers and Falcons running back Warrick Dunn has been providing single-parent families with home furnishing assistance and help with down payments for years, and when Watson was nine years old, he and his family received a note from Habitat for Humanity indicating how families could take steps to home ownership. Watson’s mother Deann volunteered over 300 hours of her time helping to build homes for other families, which led to the best surprise of the Watson family’s lives.
Warrick Dunn giving the Watson family the keys to their house in 2006. Deshaun Watson in black sweatshirt on the right. pic.twitter.com/UjGlcIhlkT
— BUM CHILLUPS, NPR CLASS PUNDIT (@edsbs) January 10, 2017
Several replies in Watson’s Twitter thread were from people who were trying to connect Watson to the people in need of help in Houston, so hopefully, Watson is able to pay it forward as he wants to do.
