Helping those in need

Mrvan reflects on how experience in North Township helped with votes for COVID-19 rental assistance in Congress

While he was North Township Trustee, Frank Mrvan said he met with residents who needed rent and mortgage payment assistance around the time of the 2008 recession.

Around that time, Mrvan, now a Democratic representative for Indiana’s First Congressional District, said what struck him was the range of people that were coming in for help paying for their homes, like construction workers, real estate agents and accountants.

“I remember just a lot of people coming to our office saying, ‘I thought I would never be in this position,’ and me sitting across from the table telling them ‘Well, this is what your tax dollars are utilized for. It’s for these times that are beyond your control to make sure that these resources are available for you,’ ” Mrvan said.

To help residents impacted by the Great Recession, Mrvan said he worked with the federal government to create the Hardest Hit Fund “to make sure that the community was able to get the results needed to keep people in their homes.” The fund helped people with their rent and mortgage payments, which helped people avoid foreclosure, he said.

His experience as North Township Trustee has helped him in his new role, because as he votes on COVID-19 aid packages, which have led to aid, including rental assistance programs, and talking with his colleagues he can draw on his experience working directly with people who needed help.

“As a member of Congress, it’s making sure that we continue that collaborative effort between the federal government, the state government and the local agencies to make sure that we’re all fulfilling the need in getting those resources to the people so that they’re able to stay in their home,” Mrvan said.

Throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a moratorium on evictions. Most recently, about two days after the previous moratorium expired July 31, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extended the moratorium to Oct. 3 for residents in counties experiencing substantial and high levels of community transmission of COVID-19.

Mrvan said he commends the Biden administration for extending the moratorium. While he didn’t directly have a say on

the process, Mravn said he heard conversations about allocating resources.

“All I know is that there was a sense of urgency to make sure that, on our end, that the resources were available,” Mrvan said. “There were negotiations that were going on and they were able to find common ground and the Biden administration was able to put forth and extend (the moratorium).”

In discussion with his colleagues, Mrvan said they talked about making sure that they were getting resources to the local level.

The First Congressional District has received more than $30 million in emergency rental assistance since the start of the pandemic, according to federal data. Lake County has received $22.2 million, Porter County has received $4.2 million and LaPorte County has received $4.5 million, according to the data.

Currently, Lake County and five other counties throughout Indiana offer Emergency Renal Assistance programs, Mrvan said. The Lake County ERA program is administered by Geminus and requires a completed application by a renter and the landlord, he said.

In July, the Lake County Community Economic Development Department Director Tim Brown said the department was notified by the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority that the county would receive additional treasury emergency rental assistance funds.

The county received about $13 million, and more than $7.5 million has been spent, Brown said. An average of $6,500 is spent per rental client, Brown said, and about 15 applications are being received per day.

But, the landlord has to support the application for the assistance, Mrvan said.

“As a member of Congress, what we want to do is make sure that those resources are available. We hope that the intentions of everyone in the community is to try to keep people in their homes and to stabilize our housing market by keeping people not only in their homes but rental assistance,” Mrvan said.

The Biden administration and Congress “is working diligently” to make sure there are resources for renters and landlords, Mrvan said.

“I believe we are on a month-to-month basis and we’re evaluating where we are based on a lot of different factors, economically where we are in those factors, the health crisis and where we are in that position,” Mrvan said.

But, overall, switching from directly helping residents to passing legislation that assists residents has been “transformational” because it makes him “a better member of Congress during these trying times because (he has) faced them,” Mrvan said.

When talking with other members of Congress, Mrvan said he frequently shares with them stories of the people he has assisted in North Township. Sharing those stories, Mrvan said, has had an impact.

“The reason why it draws attention is because ... when you begin talking about real-life scenarios of people who have worked hard and have lost their jobs under no control of their own ... and knowing it is not a hand out but it’s a hand up,” Mrvan said.