Virus relief package includes aid for apartment industry
The much needed $900 billion COVID relief package Congress passed last month, which was combined with a $1.4 trillion spending bill to fund the government through next September, includes several priorities for the apartment industry.
Most importantly, the package will provide $25 billion for rental assistance, which the National Apartment Association and National Multifamily Housing Council have advocated tirelessly in support of for nearly 10 months.
In addition to the general financial support, the measure provides Americans additional stimulus checks and an extension of enhanced unemployment benefits, all of which will help renters finding it difficult to pay their rent as a result of COVID-19.
The measure allocates $25 billion to the Treasury Department to create a new Emergency Rental Assistance program. Arizona and local communities will receive more than $400 million for direct assistance to renters.
Many states and localities already have established their own rental assistance programs using prior CARES Act funding, and these new funds replenish those programs (with some modifications) instead of trying to create a new federal program from scratch.
Under the terms of the legislation, the Treasury Department will distribute the funds to the states, with no state receiving less than $200 million. Cities with populations over 200,000 can request to directly receive their allocation. Jurisdictions are required to use no less than 90 percent of the funds for rental payments and are encouraged to prioritize rental and utility arrears.
Eligible households may receive up to 12 months of assistance, plus an additional three months if necessary, to ensure housing stability. Assistance can only be allowed in three-month increments, after which point an eligible household must re-apply for funds.
Funds are to be paid directly to the property owner on behalf of the renter and also allow for a property owner to apply for rental assistance on behalf of the resident. If a property owner does not wish to participate, funds may be paid directly to the renter for subsequent payment to the property.
Jurisdictions are directed to prioritize households that are currently unemployed and have been unemployed for 90 days and households earning 50 percent or less of area median income.
Congress also extended the ability of states to use previously allocated CARES Act resources to fund rental relief programs. Without that action, states faced a Dec. 31 deadline to fully allocate their funding, and many states found themselves with meaningful surpluses of funds that have yet to be distributed, in part because of the overly narrow targeting of those programs.
Grace was born with Kabuki Syndrome, a rare multisystem disorder that caused a congenital heart abnormality requiring valve replacement surgery as a newborn and again at age 14. Grace’s heart health benefited from the attentive medical expertise of cardiologist, Dr. John Stock and pediatrician, Dr. Kristin Struble and was supported by her admirers known affectionately as ‘Grace’s Groupies’ who proudly walked annually in the AHA Heart Walk.
Grace Campbell had a perfect soul, a riotous sense of humor, a dazzling mind, and an energetic independence. She could endear anyone with her barrage of telltale questions and would demonstrate pure joy when her favorite music was playing. She cherished her brothers and loved her family unconditionally. When she sensed anxiety, Grace would offer kisses on one’s arm as gentle reminders of her tender love. To know Grace was to be a student of humanity and to marvel at the creativity and complexity of the human mind and the body’s ability to radiate a unique and profound beauty from within.
In December 2020, Grace showed signs of illness and was taken to Phoenix Children’s Hospital where it was determined she was suffering from septic shock caused by endocarditis. Grace fought valiantly for weeks under the knowledgeable and tireless care of PCH’s compassionate nursing staff and steadfast, heroic doctors. Sadly, on the last day of that miserable year of 2020, the world lost a dearly beloved daughter, an irreplaceable sister and a beacon of pure honest hope to everyone she inspired. Grace will truly be missed, and her legacy will live on in the lessons she taught us of patient accepting love.
A celebration of life service for this amazing girl will be held safely and responsibly at 10:00 AM on Monday, January 18, 2021 at Scottsdale Bible Church Shea Campus. In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family requests donation to The Grace Campbell Foundation (www.gracecampbell.net/donate), dedicated for the benefit of those causes and groups which represent or provided care, love and joy throughout Grace’s life.