City Of Brookhaven To Use CARES Act Funding To Pay Off Past Due Rent, Utilities For Residents

From the City of Brookhaven:

October 27, 2020

The City of Brookhaven is dedicating $725,000 in CARES Act funding to pay overdue rent and utilities for residents adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This pandemic has had some serious economic consequences to working families, especially in the service industry. Many have suffered a decrease of income or an outright job loss,” said Mayor John Ernst. “This is why it is so important that we dedicate CARES Act funding to bring some relief to the families who have been hit hard by this disease and also stabilize the local housing market.”

The City partnered with the St Vincent de Paul Georgia (SVdP) to administer funds from the CARES Act on behalf for the City for the eligible Brookhaven residents. Case workers from SVdP will act on the City’s behalf to work with landlords and vendors to negotiate the resolution of outstanding rent incurred as a result of COVID-19, covering expenses incurred from April through Oct. 2020.

“SVdP Georgia has a long history of serving our neighbors in need. To join with the City of Brookhaven in helping their residents during this pandemic is a testament of our collaboration toward a common goal of providing assistance and hope to the community,” said Jerry Veltri, SVdP Chief Mission Officer.

“The intent is to remedy the late payments that is mutually beneficial to our Brookhaven citizens and their respective landlords. As a part of this resolution, we are also requesting that the landlords cease any late fees or eviction proceedings during this negotiation and resolution period,” said Mayor Ernst.

Tenants with past due accounts will need to contact SVdP to submit information in order to have funding applied to their account. There are two ways to submit information, effective Monday, Nov. 2:

• Online application at: www.svdpgeorgia.org/brookhaven-help/
• General assistance line: 678-892-6163 *residents will enter 30329 or 30319 zip code to be directed to conference for assistance.

At its regular business meeting on Sept. 22, the Brookhaven City Council approved the appropriation of $6,300,934 in CARES Act funding for a variety of purposes, including business support, personal protective equipment for government employees and COVID-19 testing for the public. Last week, the City of Brookhaven allocated nearly $778,000 to remedy Georgia Power customers within the City of Brookhaven with delinquent bills that were incurred between March and Oct. 16 of this year.

“Bringing direct relief to families affected by this pandemic is a complex undertaking. I really appreciate the expertise of St. Vincent de Paul to help identify these families in need and ensure their continued stability in the City of Brookhaven,” said Mayor Ernst.

This press release was produced by the City of Brookhaven. The views expressed here are the author’s own.