City, county get $36M in virus aid

Funds to assist residents with rent, utilities

A new program may soon be available to help renters in Allegheny County who are facing pastdue utility bills and eviction during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

The county and Pittsburgh city officials announced plans Tuesday for a $36 million emergency rental assistance program, although both governments are waiting for more information from the federal government before the money can be spent.

The funds — $27 million for the county and $8.9 million for the city — come from the $900 billion federal COVID-19 relief bill signed into law in late December.

The city and county plan to partner with the local social services agencies Action Housing and Dollar Energy Fund to administer the programs. For households that meet established criteria, federal rules say the aid can go toward rent, rental arrears, utilities, utility arrears and other housing expenses related to the pandemic.

That help could last up to 15 months with the goal of fostering housing stability, the city and county said in a news release. Eligibility criteria include a demonstrated risk of homelessness or housing instability, a financial hit from the pandemic, and a household income at or below 80% of the area median, according to the federal rules.

“In 2020, we were able to help many in our community, but also know that despite our efforts, massive need still exists,” Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald

said in the release. “This partnership with the city of Pittsburgh and ACTION will allow us to meet this challenge with a larger pool of funds to help those in need.”

The county drew on federal money as it distributed more than $14 million in rental relief to 3,600 households in 2020, according to the county’s figures.

“The goal is to launch this program as soon as possible because there is need,” said Kyle Webster, an Action Housing attorney.

Mr. Webster said the biggest barrier last time was the “documentation burden,” and he’s hoping new federal regulations can simplify that for residents.

“Having to ask high -stressed individuals during a pandemic to ask a third party to provide documentation to prove loss of income was a burden,” he said.

“These are often people who are working in the hospitality industry; [these are] industries that don’t use ADP,” he continued, referencing the Fortune 500 payroll-processing firm often used by larger employers.

Until the new program is ready to accept applicants, the county is asking renters who are experiencing pandemic-related financial issues to submit a form at covidrentrelief.alleghenycounty.us. At least 65% of the federal funds must be expended by Sept. 30, local officials noted.

Pittsburgh City Council must approve the city’s portion of the funding. Mayor Bill Peduto has asked for a vote by next week. Allegheny County does not need to go through that legislative process, a county spokeswoman said.

Under last year’s relief effort, the county used its own federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act funding to supplement a state rental-assistance program, paying up to $2,000 in monthly assistance to qualifying tenants and their landlords to prevent evictions. The state CARES Rent Relief Program sought to help both renters and landlords who lost income because of the pandemic and needed help covering rent.

The state program drew criticism for what critics called a slow start — it started accepting applications in July — and a complicated application process, among other issues. Much of the $150 million set aside for the effort went unused, the independent newsroom Spotlight PA found.

Under programs like Allegheny County’s forthcoming one, applications may be submitted by eligible households or landlords on the households’ behalf, according to federal guidelines. Generally, the guidelines say, relief funds will be paid directly to landlords and utility service providers.

More details on the new local program are expected in the coming days.