Less Than One Month Left To Apply For Rental Assistance Through House Wake!

Press release from the Wake County Government

by Leah Holdren on 12/4/2020 10:23 AM
Category: WakeGOV Home Page

If you’re behind on rent or facing
eviction, there’s still time to apply for help through the House Wake! COVID-19 Eviction Prevention Program. Applications are being accepted until midnight Wednesday,
Dec. 30.

“With the national moratorium
on evictions set to expire at the end of the month, those struggling due to
COVID-19 are fearful they won’t be able to stay in their homes,” said Wake
County Board of Commissioners Chairman Greg Ford. “We encourage anyone who is
struggling to pay rent or facing eviction to act fast and apply for assistance online
or over the phone.”

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.

Eligible applicants must:

·
Be a renter
legally residing in Wake County;

·
Have a legally
binding North Carolina lease that covers the assistance period;

·
Demonstrate that
they have suffered financially from COVID-19; and

·
Not receive any
other forms of rental assistance such as Housing Choice Vouchers, NC HOPE, Section
8 or senior housing subsidies.

While
there are no income requirements, priority is given to residents with an income
that does not exceed 80% of area median income (AMI) at the end of 2019 or pre-COVID-19.

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

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.