MaineHousing to offer more financial help to renters - Portland Press Herald - Press Herald

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MaineHousing announced Monday that it has reopened its COVID-19 Rental Relief Program for tenants who cannot afford to pay rent because of circumstances related to the pandemic.

Renters are eligible to apply for up to $1,000 per month of rental assistance, which can be applied to October and November rent. If there is enough money remaining in the COVID fund after that, tenants may apply for up to $1,000 toward their December rent bill. December rent assistance applications cannot be filed until Nov. 23.

COVID-19 rent relief benefits are paid directly to the landlord or property management company, MaineHousing said in a news release. Any landlord accepting the funds must agree not to evict the tenant during the months covered by the COVID-19 funds.

MaineHousing has about $4 million left in its COVID-19 Rental Relief fund, spokeswoman Cara Courchesne said Monday. The program began offering assistance to Mainers in April.

“When we received additional funds allocated by Governor Mills in September, our projections showed that we would run out of money after issuing payments to help cover September rent,” Daniel Brennan, director of MaineHousing, said in a statement. “We are glad that we’re able to extend help to more Mainers in need. We are grateful to Governor Mills for her leadership and support as so many Mainer struggle to make ends meet.”

Tenants can apply for rental relief by visiting mainehousing.org/covidrent. Applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis and are managed by Maine’s Community Action Agencies.

“We want to be sure people know that even if they applied and received funds during other phases of this program, they can reapply now if they still need help paying their rent,” Brennan said.

Renters most likely to be eligible include people laid off due to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as those whose employers have been forced to close, who have experienced a reduction in works hours, and those who must stay home to care for children.

For more detailed information about the program, applicants should visit mainehousing.org/covidrent.

Since the program was created in April 2020, the MaineHousing COVID-19 Rental Relief Program has provided financial support to about 14,000 renter households across Maine.

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