WISH-TV | wishtv.com
Indiana has received about $448 million in emergency rental assistance and utility-home energy assistance funding through a new COVID-19 relief bill.
Jacob Sipe, executive director of Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority (IHCDA), detailed the new funding program during Gov. Eric Holcomb’s weekly coronavirus briefing on Wednesday.
Six Indiana communities have received funding, including Hamilton County, and will administer their own programs, Sipe said.
- City of Fort Wayne: $8.1 million.
- Elkhart County: $6.2 million.
- Hamilton County: $10.1 million.
- Marion County: $28.9 million.
- Joseph County: $8.1 million.
- Lake County: $14.5 million.
The remainder of the state will receive $372 million, Sipe said.
The new program is designed to help households that are unable to pay rent and utility bills due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligible households can get up to 12 months of rental and utility assistance, including a combination of past-due rent and future rent.
Eligible households are defined by the U.S. Department of Treasury as a renter household in which at least one or more people qualifies for unemployment or has faced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced financial difficulties due to the pandemic; is at risk of becoming homeless; and household income is at or below 80 percent of the area median income.
Sipe provided the following household incomes that would meet qualification for the program:
- Two-person household: $46,250
- Four-person household: $57,850
- Six-person household: $67,100
IHCDA submitted a draft of the program policy on Feb. 8 and is waiting for revised guidance from the U.S. Department of Treasury. Sipe said once that guidance is received, IHCDA will likely begin accepting applications within a week.
Hamilton County has its own website for the program at hctaindiana.com.
Renter households in the above listed communities are not eligible to apply for rental assistance through the state’s program – they must apply through their local program.