(City of Greensboro Press Release) After seven months in operation, the City’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) has provided assistance to 2,759 Greensboro households financially affected by COVID-19, equaling $13.45 million in rent and utility payments.
As City funding is now exhausted, the program has received a boost from Guilford County’s Department of Social Services. The County has agreed to provide the City with $10 million in ERAP funding so Greensboro can continue to serve residents at the rate it has since it began in March. City Council approved the agreement at its October 19 meeting.
The agreement allows applications already submitted by Greensboro residents for assistance to move smoothly through the review process. And, for Greensboro residents applying for assistance for the first time, the City’s program will still be in effect.
For full information about how the City’s ERAP works and how to apply, visit this Web page.
For questions about applications already in the system, call the program’s hotline at 336-763-6410 between 8 am and 5 pm. If lines are busy, please leave a message with your name and phone number and your call will be returned in two business days. To report concerns about the process, visit this Web page.
According to Michelle Kennedy, director of the Neighborhood Development Department, which oversees Greensboro’s ERAP, the City has heard from residents with applications in the system that the process has become slow. Kennedy acknowledges that has been true during the past several weeks as the City exhausted its remaining funding.
“As a department, along with our partner agencies, we have heard and understand the community’s concerns regarding access to emergency rental assistance in these challenging times,” Kennedy says.
“Our goal is to assist those in our community who are experiencing a housing emergency. We want to keep tenants in their homes and this collaboration with Guilford County will allow us to do just that in a more streamlined manner,” she adds. “We look forward to using these funds to stabilize housing and prevent evictions for our neighbors who’ve experienced job losses or financial hardships during the pandemic.”
