Funds available for mortgage, rental assistance
Households that have fallen behind on mortgage or rental payments due to COVID-19 hardships may be eligible for help through the Emergency Housing Assistance (EHA) program administered by Great Lakes Community Action Partnership (GLCAP).
The EHA program is grant-funded and can provide up to three consecutive months of rent or mortgage payments occurring on or after March 1, 2020, with no repayment required. Assistance is now available in the following counties and communities:
- City of Fostoria
- Erie County (excluding City of Sandusky)
- Hancock County
- Huron County
- Lucas County (excluding City of Toledo)
- Lorain County (excluding cities of Elyria and Lorain)
- Sandusky County
- Seneca County
EHA funds are being allocated from existing Community Housing Impact & Preservation (CHIP) grants that typically pay for home repairs in these communities. As Ohio’s shutdown order has prevented home repairs from taking place in the past few months, communities are now shifting funds to help residents who have not been able to make mortgage or rental payments during the shutdown period.
“Under ordinary circumstances, we would be using these funds to provide home repairs for eligible households in these communities,” GLCAP Housing & Energy Director Terry Jacobs said. “GLCAP and our partnering communities feel that at this moment, it is more prudent to use funds to help people who have suffered undue hardship because of the pandemic, and are in urgent need of help with their housing payments.”
Eligible households must be at or below 80 percent of area median income (AMI), which varies depending on the county of residence. Households will be served on a first-come, first-served basis. Households will need to complete an EHA application, and provide documentation of income, documentation of past-due housing payments, and proof of job loss or lay-off, or other hardships due to COVID-19.
Details are available at www.glcap.org/emergencyhousingassistance. Those who are interested may contact GLCAP Support Specialist Niki Holland at 419-333-6101 or via email at ntholland@glcap.org.