State takes steps to help renters gain financial aid
More than $4 million still is available from a state fund set up to help Arizona renters struggling to stay in their homes during the COVID-19 crisis, and revamped guidelines could make it easier to get the money.
Renters applying for the financial help now must provide less documentation, aren’t disqualified for having savings and can receive more than one month in rent aid at once, according to the Arizona Department of Housing.
The Arizona Republic reported in May that the state’s rental assistance program was giving out money at a trickle and narrow requirements were excluding people in need.
“To provide needed rental assistance to those affected by COVID-19 as expeditiously as possible, the Arizona Department of Housing has changed a number of policies to the Rental Eviction Prevention Assistance Program,” said Janelle Johnsen, a spokesperson for the Arizona Department of Housing.
She said the new streamlined process is more flexible and eases requirements for supporting documentation. It will be available to renters this week.
About $830,000 of the $5 million
fund launched in late March has gone to pay rents for tenants hurt by the COVID-19 crisis, which is more than double from a month ago.
Also, about 53% of the 15,000 applications submitted have been processed.
Housing advocates were concerned the original guidelines for the funds were preventing renters who need the money from getting it.
The rental assistance program came on the heels of Ducey’s March 24 order to delay evictions for those impacted — either quarantined or facing economic challenges — by COVID-19.
The eviction moratorium expires July 22, and most renters who were able to stay in their homes because of it will then owe landlords back rent. The state program could ease that burden.
Still waiting for help
Kaitlyn Wall set her alarm for midnight so she could submit her application for rent help when the Department of Housing’s online application went live on March 30.
More than two months later, Kaitlyn, 25, and her husband Josh, 26, still haven’t received assistance.
“It’s stressful and exhausting,” said Kaitlyn, who is worried about keeping their rental home as they care for their six-month-old daughter Autumn.
Kaitlyn lost her job as a receptionist at an animal hospital in March. The next month, Josh was laid off for two weeks as a salesperson at a medical marijuana dispensary and then rehired at less than full-time. Their monthly income dropped by more than half to about $1,600 and their unemployment checks came late, Kaitlyn said. Keeping up with $1,000 in rent has been difficult.
The Peoria couple have emptied their checking account, cut back on expenses and borrowed money from family.
Kaitlyn made daily calls to the Maricopa County Human Services Department and the Glendale Community Action Program. When a caseworker contacted her in late May, she was told the family could not get rental assistance for April because the month had passed.
Then the caseworker asked for more documentation and got permission from a supervisor to let the application go forward, Kaitlyn said. But the couple still is waiting for final approval to get the rent help.
Landlords advocate for reforms
The state aid is paid straight to renters’ landlords, and an apartment industry group wants to see the program funds spent faster.
“Steps like these are exactly what we’ve been advocating for with the Governor’s Office, and we’re gratified the process has gotten simpler for residents,” said Courtney Gilstrap LeVinus, president of the Arizona Multihousing Association. “Still, we would like to see more reforms.”
If a resident qualifies for the eviction delay implemented by Ducey, that resident should automatically qualify for financial relief, she said.
4 of the loosened requirements
One of the big changes to the program is that only the applicant for the aid must document hardship due to the novel coronavirus. Previously, all adult tenants on the lease had to provide documentation.
Other changes:
• Renters now only need to provide four documents: a copy of current lease/ rental agreement, paystubs or other documentation of monthly income preCOVID 19, paystubs or other documentation of current monthly income and a copy of a driver’s license or state ID.
• The application no longer requires bank statements to see if renters can use savings to pay rent. Renters’ previous month of income is what now determines if they are eligible.
• Community Action Agencies can now pay more than one month of rent at a time to qualified renters.
How to get help paying your rent
• Apply for up to $2,000 per month toward your rent from the Arizona Department of Housing: https://housing.az.gov/general-public/eviction-prevention-assistance. The average assistance per household paid through the fund so far is $973.90.
File paperwork with your landlord to delay eviction. Your landlord can still file for an eviction order against you, but following these steps should prevent a constable from locking you out of your home:
• Tell your landlord in writing that you have lost income or you or a household member have been quarantined because of COVID-19 using a form like this: https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/6819854/Covid19 FormFillable.pdf.
• Provide documentation such as a doctor’s note or pay stubs. Write a statement explaining why you are eligible for help if you don’t have documentation.
• Keep copies of your form and documents.
• Send a copy of your form and documents through certified mail or handdeliver them to your landlord and keep a record of the date it was submitted.
• Ask your landlord if they have a federally backed mortgage. If so, the property owner can get a mortgage forbearance from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in exchange for not evicting tenants hurt by the pandemic.
Also, renters with HUD housing benefits cannot be evicted during the COVID-19 crisis, according to the federal government.