Stark County emergency rental assistance program to close in August
CANTON – Stark County tenants and landlords have until August to apply for financial assistance to help with rental expenses amid the pandemic.
Stark County Jobs and Family Services will be accepting applications for the COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program until 4 p.m. Aug. 5, the agency said.
Applications received after that will be denied.
The program is a federally-funded initiative that started in 2021 to help residents struggling to make rent payments as a result of the pandemic. Eligible residents can receive as much as 12 months' worth of rent payments to pay overdue bills dating back to March 13, 2020.
The program may also be able to help with moving into a new residence in some circumstances.
All payments will be sent directly to the property owner or landlord.
Sarah Hegnauer, communications administrator for Stark County Jobs and Family Services, said the agency has approved 1,338 applications so far for a total of $2.4 million.
"The reason it's closing is because this is how long the U.S. Department of Treasury set the program up to run," she said.
Stark County officials applied for assistance through the U.S. Treasury Department and received roughly $11.06 million in 2021. Hegnauer said any funds not used will be returned to the U.S. Treasury Department.
Who's eligible for rental assistance?
Rental assistance is available to Stark County renters who meet the following criteria:
One or more members of the household qualifies for unemployment or has seen a loss in household income or experienced financial hardship as a result of the pandemic.
Can provide evidence of housing instability or homelessness and a household income that falls below 80% of the area's median income. Individuals and families that fall below 50% of the area's median income and receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits will be prioritized.
Applicants must provide a completed application; verification of the most recent month’s income or 2020 adjusted gross income; verification of the hardship caused by COVID-19; verification of the monthly rental fee delinquency or the need for assistance with first month’s rent and security deposit; and completed W-9 substitute tax and automatic deposit forms from the landlord.
Applications can be submitted by email to Stark_Rental@jfs.ohio.gov, fax to 330-451-8925 or mail or in-person at Stark Jobs and Family Services at Midtown Plaza, 221 Third St. SE, Canton, OH 44702. They can be dropped off at the customer service counter between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday or at any time at the outdoor, no-contact drop box located near the front entrance.
Both tenants and landlords will receive notice about whether an application has been approved or denied. Applications can be downloaded at StarkJFS.org.
To request an application packet by mail, please call 330-451-7368 or email Stark_Rental@jfs.ohio.gov.
Reach Paige at 330-580-8577 or pmbennett@gannett.com, or on Twitter at @paigembenn.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Stark County renters can apply for assistance through Aug. 5
