Nassau County residents in need of rent relief in the wake of the pandemic have a little more help on the way.
A program run by the Community Development Corporation of Long Island is extending the purview of its $6 million rent relief pot. According to Newsday, residents in the county can now apply for three months of prospective rent relief.
The program previously covered only three months of unpaid back rent.
The initiative has paid out $1.25 million in rent relief so far, assisting at least 200 households and reviewing another 100 cases. Still, that leaves almost 80 percent of funds available for use.
In addition to creating three more months of potential rent relief, the program is relaxing the documentation requirements for receiving relief. The program will now accept attestations of hardships in some scenarios, Newsday reports.
As of August, approximately 13,190 households in Nassau County were estimated to be behind on rent, according to analysis reported by Newsday from Surgo Ventures, a social solutions nonprofit.
Residents who were up to date on their rent prior to the pandemic and make less than 80 percent of the county’s median income are eligible for relief, which is paid directly to landlords or management companies. The program plans to reach out to those who have received aid already to see if they qualify for the extended aid.
The program was designed to provide relief by using federal emergency grants for up to 900 tenants in a county made up 20 percent of renters. Applicants were able to qualify for up to $3,700 for three consecutive months of unpaid rent at the time the program opened on January 6.
The extended program is more good news for tenants as national figures show — despite previous concerns — an overwhelming amount of evictions has not materialized amid the expiration of the national moratorium. Eviction filings were up by 8.7 percent in September, but still came in at about half of the month’s pre-pandemic average.
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