STANISLAUS COUNTY, Calif. — Some renters in Stanislaus County could be eligible to receive assistance by applying to a new Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
Applications for the program are already being accepted with funding provided by the State of California and the US Treasury. Stanislaus County and the city of Modesto received a combined $35.9 million that will go to eligible households.
Those eligible to receive the assistance must have a household income at or below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI), qualify for unemployment, or experienced some kind of financial hardship attributable to the pandemic, and/or can demonstrate a risk of “housing instability or homelessness.”
Funding during the first 60 days of the program will be focused on people whose household incomes are at or below 50% of the AMI or those who have been unemployed the 90 days before submitting an application. After that, resources the focus will shift to people with incomes at or below 80% of AMI.
Phase one of the program will pay 100% of the outstanding rental and utility debt owed by an eligible household. Money for phase one comes from the $16.4 million in federal funding. After that money is used up, phase two of the program will pay 80% of the outstanding rental and utility debt owed by an eligible household. This money is provided by the $19.5 million in state funding.
The program is a collaborative effort between the county, the city of Modesto, the Stanislaus Regional Housing Authority, and the United Way. Four local credit unions – Self-Help Credit Union, Modesto First Federal Credit Union, Organized Labor Credit Union, and Rolling F Credit Union – are all part of the program.
Program officials ask the public to direct any questions they have to the United Way’s 211 call center.
