As Iowa’s COVID-19-related moratorium on eviction and foreclosure has been lifted, residents in the Panorama School District are advised of a public service for those struggling to pay rent or other housing bills.

The Panorama Area Assistance Fund has been orchestrated the last several years by the Panora First Christian Church, with funds donated from members of its church as well as others in Panorama’s five communities. Residents living in Panora, Linden, Bagley, Jamaica, and Yale who may be struggling with rent, utility, and other similar bills can apply for a one-time donation to help them stay in their homes and get back on their feet.

First Christian Church Pastor Gary Freeland says the fund has received significant donations recently, and he hopes they can help anyone currently unemployed or struggling financially, “It’s interesting that around the end of the year we had several very large gifts and our fund actually ballooned to numbers way above (what) we’d ever had in the fund before. And I actually told people at the time, I said, ‘I think God is really preparing us for something big that’s going to happen.’ And then when the pandemic hit, I thought, ‘Well, this is it.’”

Freeland adds that the magnitude of the COVID-19 crisis has influenced them to encourage anyone who has received assistance from the fund previously to apply again. Those granted will then have their housing bill paid directly from the church. For information on how to apply, call the church at 641-755-2227.