House Wake! COVID-19 Eviction Prevention Program Extends Application Deadline Through January

Press release from the Wake County Government:

by Leah Holdren on 12/30/2020 4:42 PM
Category: WakeGOV Home Page; Human Services

Those behind on rent or
facing a possible eviction now have more time to apply for assistance. The House Wake! COVID-19 Eviction Prevention Program has extended the application deadline to Jan. 31, to continue
to run alongside the extended eviction moratorium.

“The pandemic has triggered job losses and reductions
in hours that continue to put many families behind on their rent,” said Wake
County Commissioner Shinica Thomas. “Business closures and other changes have
burdened many families with paying for additional childcare as well. Unless we
continue to offer help, we’re just delaying a wave of evictions, with possibly
thousands of residents losing the roofs over their heads.”

The House Wake! Eviction Prevention Program was set to
expire today, but by extending the program through January, it will continue to
provide help to households who have found themselves behind on rent or are already
in eviction proceedings.

The House Wake! COVID-19 Eviction Prevention Program
consists of a three-step process:

1.
Eviction Prevention
Through a partnership with the Telamon Corporation, the county helps tenants and landlords cover rent shortfalls,
resulting from a loss of income due to COVID-19. House Wake! pays 100%
of up to six months of approved tenants’ back rent owed from March through
December 2020. In return, the landlords must agree to forgive the remaining rent
owed and offer to discount rent by 25% for January through March 2021.

2.
Eviction Mediation Services
Through a partnership with Legal Aid of North Carolina, the county provides
free legal support for tenants who need legal counsel for mediation services or
to negotiate filed evictions with landlords; and

3.
Relocation Assistance
The county helps relocate residents whose housing situations could not be
stabilized through steps 1 or 2.

Telamon Corporation will
continue to act as administrator for step one of the program. To date, they
have received more than 1,800 applications. Eviction mediation services and
relocation assistance offered in steps 2 and 3 of the program will continue
through at least June 2021.

“We’re excited that Telamon
can continue to administer the program into the new year,” said Telamon
Corporation CEO Suzanne Orozco. “Many households are still struggling in our
community and we did not want to turn someone in need away. This extension will
allow us to bring the maximum number of residents to stable housing possible
and help landlords regain their loss of income.”

Residents can visit wakegov.com/housing or call 919-899-9911 to learn more and apply.

Tenants
and landlords who have previously applied and received less than six months of
the support available can request to have the month of January covered as well.

About House Wake!

House Wake! is a strategic plan to minimize the effects
of COVID-19 on homeless and precariously housed Wake County residents, while
maximizing opportunities for positive long-term outcomes.

This plan uses and coordinates federal, state and local
funding to address the COVID-19 crisis within our homeless and precariously
housed populations and aims to move the maximum number of people possible to
housing stability.

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This press release was produced by the Wake County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.