Close to $80 million in federal rental aid will be available to landlords and tenants in Allegheny County starting at 8 a.m. Monday.
County officials said last week they hope this second round of rent relief will be able to reach more people; a state program last year wasn’t able to get millions of dollars in aid to needy landlords and tenants, due to overly restrictive rules and bureaucratic red tape.
This version of the program will have more flexibility, said Erin Dalton, Allegheny County Human Services director. The funds can also be used for utility assistance as well as rent.
“Legislators listened to advocates and government and made the program easier to run …so we’re taking full advantage of all of that,” she said.
“We’re staffed up to run the program from the beginning, knowing this is a very large program, we’re ready, we’re ready to get to those applications quickly, triage them through the process,” Dalton said.
To apply, residents must be able to show they have been financially impacted by the pandemic, and are encouraged to gather documents such as paystubs and any notification they have that their rent is in arrears or they are at risk of being evicted.
More information is online at https://covidrentrelief.alleghenycounty.us or by calling ACTION-Housing at 412-248-0021. There are also eight centers throughout the county where residents can apply for assistance in person.
