Covid-19 Rental Assistance
Cleveland Housing Network and Step Forwrd received funds in Apr 2020 as part of the initial stimulus package to provide financial assistance to tenants impacted by COVID. If a tenant contracted COVID and was forced to take time off from work due to recovery or if the place where a tenant worked either closed or reduced hours due to COVID mandates by local or state governments, this was an opportunity to have rent covered. There was an application process and landlord verification. In June 2021, CHN began offering to pay the past due amount AND up to 3 future months (up to 6 months total) as a means to ensure the tenant was not evicted. CHN and Step Forward have received additional funding in subsequent stimulus package(s). When approached by a tenant moving in about vouchers, rental assistance, and up front payments from social service agencies, I highly scrutinize those programs. A subject for another post, but it's been my experience these types of programs do not pr...