Yahoo Movies Lexington has millions to help tenants, landlords as evictions resume. How to apply.
Lexington and cities across the country are ramping up outreach to landlords and renters as a federal moratorium on evictions is set to expire next week.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control moratorium, which allowed renters to sign an affidavit allowing them to stay in their homes if they do not have money for rent, expires June 30. The moratorium was put in place during the height of the coronavirus pandemic to keep people in apartments and houses and to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
The city has more than $29 million in federal stimulus money through the Housing Stabilization Program to pay past-due rent and utilities, said Charlie Lanter, the director of grants and special programs for the city of Lexington.
“We are not going to have thousands of people put out on the street come the first of July,” Lanter said.
To date, the city has doled out more than $3.5 million from prior federal stimulus dollars to landlords whose tenants could not pay rent due to job losses during the pandemic or loss of hours and other income. The program has helped more than 600 households avoid eviction.
But Lanter and others caution that landlords won’t be eligible for money if they evict tenants.
“If the tenant is put out, you don’t get paid,” Lanter said.
The city recently switched to new software that allows tenants to apply and upload all documents, which will hopefully help speed up the application process. It is also increasing the number of people in its call center to help answer questions. It currently has six positions and will likely ramp up to 10 in the coming months.
Tenants with pending cases in eviction court get priority and move to the front of the line — they are in immediate jeopardy of being evicted. Others who are behind on rent but don’t have a case in eviction court move to the back of the line. That doesn’t mean those applications aren’t being processed, Lanter said.
“What we are encouraging is if a tenant is behind on rent and has applied to the program, the tenant and the landlord need to communicate,” said Jonathan Wright, project director of the Housing Stabilization Fund. “There is enough money in the program to pay all existing applications.”
The new software program allows people to check the status of their applications.
In addition, Wright has been in eviction court working with landlords and tenants. Wright can tell Fayette District Court judges in real time that someone has applied to the program and where they are in the application process. He can tell tenants about the program in court if they haven’t applied.
The efforts have been successful to date in stopping most evictions for nonpayment, Wright said.
In addition, the Catholic Action Center has hired 10 people who help those with limited or no internet access apply to the city’s program.
“This has been a devastating year and a lot of people haven’t faced this before, particularly those on the edge,” said Ginny Ramsey, director of the Catholic Action Center.
In the past 10 days, the Catholic Action Center has received 500 phone calls from tenants and landlords who need help filling out the online application, Ramsey said.
“There are so many people who do not have internet access or if they have internet access, it’s on their phones and they have limited data,” Ramsey said.
Not everyone is tech savvy. People also need help uploading forms, she said.
The Greater Lexington Apartment Association has also helped spread the word to landlords and tenants through various programs and its website.
“We have some smaller landlords who don’t know about it,” Ramsey said.
The connectors work six days a week. People must first make an appointment by calling 502-783-7211 or emailing caclex2000@gmail.com.
Catholic Action Center staff are also in eviction court to make sure tenants know to apply for the program and let landlords know that they will not receive any funding if they put someone out on the street.
Wright and Ramsey said tenants also need to show up for court if they have a pending eviction hearing. If a tenant does not show up, they can be evicted.
“We have had cases where the tenant did not show up, and the landlord has agreed not to evict them because they have a pending application to the program,” Wright said.
People can receive up to 12 months in past-due rent and three months going forward. Some landlords have received north of $10,000 in back rent, Lanter said.
For tenants to be eligible, one or more persons in a household must:
Be at 80 percent or below the area median income. For a family of two, that’s $48,350, and for a family of four, it’s $60,400.
Be a Fayette County resident.
Have certification that a household member has qualified for unemployment benefits or has experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced other financial hardship due directly or indirectly to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Have certification that the household is at risk of homelessness by a pending eviction or a past due notice or unsafe or unhealthy living condition.
Eligible landlords
Must forgive all late fees, penalties, and interest related to nonpayment of rent.
Must agree not to evict over past due rent prior to March 2020.
Have a current rental agreement.
Must agree to give 45 days’ notice for any future eviction, not to be initiated until at least 30 days after assistance concludes.
Must agree to terms of arrearage settlement and submit necessary paperwork.
Both the landlord and tenant must agree to apply to the program.
Lexington and Fayette County residents should apply to the program at covid19renterhelp.org. If you don’t have internet access and need help applying online, call the Catholic Action Center at 502-783-7211 to set up an appointment. No walk-ins or drop-ins are allowed.
For people who live in Louisville and Jefferson County, apply for assistance at stopmyeviction.org. For people living in Kentucky’s other 118 counties who need help with back rent or utility assistance, contact teamkyhherf.ky.gov
