Resident Assistance Program
Essex Property Trust has a long history and track record in supporting our residents and that is especially true in times of need. The Resident Assistance Program offers an immediate bridge between crisis and stability for households threatened with unforeseen and temporary financial setbacks, thereby limiting the ability to perform their lease obligations.
One example is the COVID-19 pandemic that impacted over 7,000 of our residents from loss and reduced employment, taking care of love ones, and other reasons. Residents who are impacted by COVID-19 may need temporary rent relief as their income has been impacted and Essex would like to help these residents in times of need. The program will provide a one-time grant to qualifying households to provide temporary relief.
Additionally, this program will assist select residents transitioning from approved BMR units with upcoming expiration to relocate or continue to stay within the community. These programs are at management discretion.
Community Assistance Program
Essex Property Trust believes no person should be forced to choose between paying their rent and providing the essential resources needed for themselves or their families. The Community Assistance Program aims to help alleviate the growing issues surrounding food insecurity and the digital divide impacting our residents and members of the local community.
Due to financial hardship, many of our residents and members of our local community are struggling to stay in their homes, purchase groceries or day-to-day essentials, and food banks are struggling to keep up with demand.
This Program will provide assistance to our residents and communities within Essex markets through monetary donations to local food banks, technology devices to Human-I-T, and grocery assistance to our residents.
Subsidized Housing Program
As the availability of affordable housing, in the communities in which we operate, continues to be acute, the Subsidized Housing Program is designed to support working families that educate our children and provide critical services to our communities.
This program provides apartment units free of charge or rental discounts to professionals who contribute to local communities (i.e. teachers, first responders, nurses, etc.) through a well-established, non- profit charity whose mission aligns closely with that of Essex. The charity foundation(s) will be responsible for matching qualified applicants, who fall in the 50-80% of average median income, to affordable housing.
Employee Emergency Relief Program
Essex Property Trust has a long history and track record in helping our employees, especially those in need. The Employee Emergency Relief Program is designed to provide contributions to employees and families experiencing hardships such as a death or disability. This program does not cover employee’s facing financial hardships.
Employee Volunteer Program
Essex Property Trust believes volunteering creates positive change in our associates and the communities where we live and work. The Employee Volunteer program aims to support and encourage eligible associates to become actively involved in their communities such as joining neighbors in a park clean-up, bringing a meal to persons with a life-threatening illness, being a mentor to a person with disabilities, distributing food at a food bank, or helping build a home.
Essex provides eligible associates (with manager pre-approval) the ability to take up to eight work hours each calendar year to participate in volunteer activities. Essex strongly believes that both our workforce and the community will benefit from associates who make a permanent commitment to volunteerism. The Essex Volunteer Policy does not, however, cover volunteer work conducted during non-work (personal) time.
To promote teamwork throughout Essex, Week of Thanks will be an annual week-long Company-wide volunteering event. Week of Thanks will encourage departments to organize volunteering events and come together to make a positive impact in their local communities.