Need help with rent? Facing eviction? Money to help is available, but not for long
A nationwide eviction ban will expire on Dec. 31, and if Congress doesn’t pass a new round of COVID-19 relief funding, millions of people could be at risk of losing housing.
The pandemic has some Idaho renters struggling to pay rent, but the Idaho Housing Finance Association said the federally funded Housing Preservation Program still has money to help. But a critical deadline looms. IHFA will stop taking applications this Friday, Dec. 11.
▪ Your current household income is less than 80% of the area median income. In Boise, that means a one-person household’s income cannot exceed $41,900 per year, a two-person household $47,900, three-person $53,900, four-person $59,850, and five-person $64.650.
▪ You face risk of eviction within 30 days for nonpayment of rent or a utility shut-off due to the COVID-19 crisis.
“It does not assist homeowners that have a mortgage, but it does assist a variety of renters,” said Brady Ellis, the association’s vice president of housing support. “It could be someone renting a portion of a home or full rental unit.”
The association, a state government-sponsored corporation, started the rent-aid program in June and has been trying to spread the word since to eligible renters.
“Right from the get-go every week, we had an increase in applications, an increase in the funds disbursed every week,” Ellis said. “It just went up and up. Now that we are winding down, we expect another jump and interest in the program. We hope that’s the case.”
The program has helped about 4,300 Idaho households, nearly 14,000 people, with $12.5 million in rental and utility payments, Ellis said.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s current eviction moratorium prohibits landlords from evicting tenants, but the order will expire at the end of the year. Meanwhile, the pandemic is worsening, and some people laid off this year remain jobless. The association hopes the federal government will come through with additional money.
“There are certainly a lot of people that will continue to have some type of financial hardship in January and beyond,” Ellis said. “We hope there’s going to be another resource available, some type of COVID response.”
To apply, renters can call 1-855-452-0801.
Idaho Statesman Business Editor David Staats contributed.