By Hannah Morse | Palm Beach Post
Millions of dollars in new federal aid will be available to Palm Beach County renters who were affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
County commissioners signed off on a plan Tuesday for the county’s community services department to dispense $45.2 million for rent and utility assistance. The county received the dollars as part of the $25 billion that Congress approved in December for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
Renters who are seeking help after direct or indirect effects from the coronavirus pandemic can apply starting 8 a.m. Wednesday at rentalassistancepbc.org. Homeowners or tenants renting out their family’s homes with a mortgage are not eligible.
Applicants may receive up to 12 months of assistance with up to three months in advance. Payments will be made directly to the landlord, who must be registered as a vendor with the county, or utility company.
To be eligible, an applicant must live in a rental household where one or more people qualify for unemployment or lost income; whose costs have grown or experienced other financial effects because of the pandemic; shows risk of homelessness or unstable housing; and has a household income at or below 80 percent of the area median income. For a family of four, that would be $70,250…. Read More