Madison County says rent relief is on its way

The Madison County Department of Social Services (DSS) and Community Action Partnership for Madison County (CAP) want Madison County residents and landlords to know that assistance is coming from the federal government. All they have to do is apply.

The Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) will enable tenants and landlords to apply for rental arrear payments (money that is owed and should have been paid earlier). The ERAP makes available $25 billion nationwide to assist households that are unable to pay rent and utilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The funds are provided directly to States, U.S. Territories, local governments, and Indian tribes to assist eligible households through existing or newly created rental assistance programs, according to Madison County officials.

“COVID-19 not only impacted the health of our community, but also the economy,” says Madison County Department of Social Services Commissioner Michael Fitzgerald. “Many people lost their jobs, had to apply for some form of assistance, and were unable to pay their rent, which hurts our landlords as well. We here at Madison County want to know the true impact that COVID-19 has had over the past year on our community. We are asking landlords to fill out a brief survey so we can get a better idea of how much they have been truly impacted over the past year.”

All landlords who own properties in Madison County are asked to fill out an online survey. Google “Madison County Landlord Survey” to find it. Responses will be collected until April 16, 2021.

“CAP has worked with many families this past year that have struggled due to COVID-19 and the economy,” says CAP Executive Director Antara Mitra. “Many still continue to struggle. We also recognize the hardship of our landlords and are here to assist landlords and tenants get the relief they need.”

Eligible households may receive up to 12 months of assistance in paying back rent owed to their landlord. NYS will open an online application portal to submit applications and paperwork. CAP and DSS can help with the application process.

Officials say the proposed legislation allows landlords and property owners to aid tenants in applying for assistance or applying on the renter’s behalf. If a landlord applies for assistance on behalf of their tenant, the tenant must cosign the application, the landlord must provide the tenant documentation of the application, and the payments must be used to pay the tenant’s rental obligations.

Eligibility

An “eligible household” is defined as a renter household in which at least one or more individuals meets the following criteria:

• Qualifies for unemployment or has experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced a financial hardship due to COVID-19

• Demonstrates a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability

• Has a household income at or below 80 percent of the area median (see table below. HH stands for household.)

Rental assistance provided to an eligible household should not be duplicative of any other federally funded rental assistance provided to such household.

It is important to note that the federal government has extended the eviction moratorium until June 2021. For more information on ERAP visit Madison County’s website.

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