Tag: assistance

Ex-Douglas County worker accused of stealing rental help cash

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MINDEN, Nev. (KOLO) – A former Douglas County employee was charged with stealing $ 4,400 from the county for fictitious rental support.

Rena Petri is a former Douglas County Social Services case manager and a special grand jury has heard the case and cleared the indictment, the Douglas County District Attorney said.

The indictment alleges that Petri, who is currently based in Oakland, Calif., Prepared and received the funds for fictitious rent support refunds of $ 2,400 and $ 2,000. She worked for Douglas County from August 2018 to June 2021.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Petri and she has bail of $ 10,0006 in cash only.

Copyright 2021 KOLO. All rights reserved.

The place’s The Cash? Hundreds of thousands of Illinois Rental Help {Dollars} Nonetheless Ready To Be Disbursed – NBC Chicago

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It’s said to be a lifeline: more than $ 1 billion in federal rental and relief funds that Congress has earmarked for Americans hardest hit by the pandemic.

Illinois received a decent chunk of that funding: more than $ 800 million.

But NBC 5 Responds records show that much of the government’s funds are still in an account – not yet paid off – while the cloud of uncertainty about how long eviction moratoriums will last looms over fearful tenants.

Housing lawyers and civil servants are preparing for a potential flurry of housing problems.

In a recent US Census Household Pulse Survey, more than 109,000 Illinois residents responded that they were likely to face eviction, and just over 19,000 said the same thing about foreclosing their homes.

It is for this reason that the emergent CARES Act of Congressional Emergency Rent Assistance Program stands ready to save many from homelessness.

The problem, however, is the process of getting the money into the hands of those who need it most.

NBC 5 Responds examined the latest numbers for two Illinois government agencies that currently hold the bulk of the rental subsidy funds: the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) and the Department of Human Services (IDHS).

IHDA’s numbers show that it distributed about 46 percent of the $ 504 million it was supposed to deliver to renters and landlords. To date, the Office has received more than 96,000 requests for assistance through its online portal.

IDHS has taken a different approach to delivering the funds allocated to it.

The IDHS records show that through a network of community providers across the state, it has paid out approximately 11 percent of the $ 117 million to more than 4,000 applicants since April.

State officials and attorneys said many people in Illinois find themselves in a scenario they have never experienced before: facing the maze of procedures and trials in eviction courts as they seek both financial and legal assistance in order to to keep them afloat. NBC 5 replies.

Housing officials told NBC 5 that these findings highlighted the need for a recent extension of the state’s eviction moratorium (to learn more Click here). They stated that more time is needed to get rental assistance into the hands of those who need it most.

In a virtual interview, IDHS Secretary Grace Hou agreed to extend the state moratorium, stressing that the programs are working as quickly as possible while ensuring that funds are distributed responsibly.

“We have a very compassionate yet cautious science-based approach,” Hou said. “We don’t want our program to be questioned negatively in the further course.”

Hou said IHDA’s Rental Assistance Program is designed to take thousands of applications across the state virtually through an online portal and deliver funds directly to tenants and landlords.

But the IDHS plan is different.

“We know this one-size-fits-all isn’t for all renters and landlords looking for help,” said Hou.

The IDHS rent subsidy distribution plan, Hou explained, is a “personal floor game”; played by a team of grassroots, immigration and faith organizations who work with the agency to help communities who are most in need and who are afraid to turn to the government for help.

To view a list of IDHS rental assistance providers in your area, Click here.

“People may be familiar with the programs, but in some communities there may be a fear of actually accessing some of these programs,” Hou said, adding that some families need more than just rental assistance.

“We work with families who may have a number of other challenges,” said Hou. “The programs are designed to work hand in hand to address different households in different situations.”

The call for more rental assistance, delivered faster, isn’t unique to Illinois. This week, the Treasury Department confirmed that the bulk of the country’s earmarked funds – 89% – is still in the pipeline.

If state and local authorities do not distribute rental support funds by September 30, the Treasury Department has the right to redistribute these funds to areas of continuing need.

But a local silver lining: federal agencies said Illinois was one of the best-improved programs, with its spike from spending in May to more than $ 96 million the following month.

Hou said she understood the sense of urgency, but state officials also need to balance it with thoughtful and strategic and deliberate processes.

While the IHDA application portal is temporarily closed for renters or landlords seeking help with renting out, Hou said it will reopen in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, tenants and landlords can apply for assistance through the IDHS provider network.

For more information on rentals and legal resources, NBC has 5 Responds a complete guide here.

COVID rental help cash nonetheless accessible in San Diego

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The authorities expect an increase in requests as the eviction moratorium expires.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, California – A state eviction moratorium is set to expire this weekend, but the state eviction moratorium in California will last at least two months.

COVID Rental Assistance Allowance continues to be available for qualified applicants in San Diego County.

“Help is there. It is available. We encourage people to apply, ”said Jose Dorado, senior management analyst for the City of Chula Vista.

If you are behind with your rental payments, go to first Erapsandiego.org There you can enter your address to find out where to apply for rental assistance.

“People need to know that they can apply. So if they are having trouble paying their rent, be it overdue rent or future rent, they can apply for this rent support, ”said Dorado.

Three agencies cover all of San Diego County when it comes to rental assistance.

Chula Vista is one area, the second is the city of San Diego and the rest is covered by San Diego County.

The money is available to low-income applicants, but if you’ve recently lost your job there is a chance that you could qualify as last month’s income level can be calculated.

“Suppose you were recently laid off, or you had a reduction in hours, or perhaps you had a health problem. Then you could use your income from the last 30 days to qualify for this program, ”said Dorado.

The COVID rental support now covers 100 percent of past and future rent through April 2020.

The money goes to the landlord and either the tenant or the landlord can submit an application.

“A lot of people are happy that they can focus on other responsibilities they have towards their families rather than how they pay their rent or whether they are evicted,” Dorado said.

Even if you live in a government home, you can still apply for rental assistance in San Diego County, according to Dorado.

CONNECTED TO WATCH: Applications open for San Diego County’s Rental Assistance Program (March 2021)

Cash, not flour – donors flip to money help programmes – World

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When you think of humanitarian aid, you tend to think of distributing tents and flour, but often other things are also needed – children’s shoes or mattresses. Germany is therefore increasingly relying on cash payments to strengthen local markets and give people more freedom.

How does the cash assistance work?

Over 230 million people worldwide are dependent on humanitarian aid. This is due to disasters or conflicts that lead to crises when the national authorities are unable or unwilling to provide the necessary assistance. In order to be able to provide quick and efficient aid, donors, including Germany, are increasingly concentrating on cash-based humanitarian aid. These can be physical cash spend, prepaid card payments, or mobile money transfers that can be stored on devices such as smartphones. There are significant advantages to this approach.

On the one hand, the recipients can buy what they need most urgently – food, clothing, medication – in their area. Second, it gives the recipients decisive freedom of choice and restores their ability to act and saves them long waiting times at overcrowded distribution points.

In recent years it has been shown that cash-based humanitarian aid is also particularly efficient. The procurement of bulky goods, which then have to be transported and distributed and cause additional costs, is no longer necessary. Donations in kind can also often have a negative impact on local market prices, for example if grain or grain products suddenly become available in large quantities free of charge. Cash payments, on the other hand, can do a lot to maintain the local economy or give it new impetus.

For this form of humanitarian aid to be possible, the markets in the affected regions must of course function and sufficient goods must be available. This is checked in advance before cash payments are made.

More than 200 studies have now observed the remarkable efficiency and positive effects of cash-based humanitarian aid; this is an example Impact assessment of multipurpose cash assistance to Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

Another specific example is Somalia. Six million people in the country are dependent on humanitarian aid – a third of the population. The 2017 drought pushed many smallholders and ranchers into poverty. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) currently provides many families there with cash. This includes Ayan Mohamed Said’s family of four. For the equivalent of 70 euros a month, she can buy bread, milk, vegetables, medicines and clothing for herself and her children.

Germany will continue to expand cash aid

In 2016, Germany joined other donors and aid organizations to volunteer Huge bargain to support a major international reform process aimed at making humanitarian aid more effective overall. A central pillar of this process is the targeted use of cash assistance. The Federal Foreign Office currently provides 20 percent of its humanitarian aid in the form of cash payments and plans to increase this proportion further in the coming years.

Why are so few San Diegans making use of for rental help cash? –

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SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – There is still a lot of money available for rental support for San Diegans struggling during the pandemic.

The county received approximately $ 216 million to help tenants. and after three months there is still about $ 161 million left.

The average payouts across the county ranged from $ 4,000 to nearly $ 6,000, according to the county.

Some economists believe that tenants with multiple rounds of pandemic-induced stimulus money may have found a way to pay rent despite job insecurity.

Point Loma Nazarene University Chief Economist Lynn Reaser discussed at Good Evening San Diego why so few San Diegan residents are applying for rent subsidies.

Leisure employees react to Florida pulling out of Pandemic Unemployment Help Program

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Florida has withdrawn from the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program. For people in central Florida who have been relying on that extra money, the future seems a little more uncertain was on leave and those waiting for the green light to get back to work. Other federal benefits will continue but will expire on September 6. For Ocoee’s 28-year-old Aaron Davison, who is a Universal on leave employee who found out the federal unemployment program, which brought in an additional $ 300 a week, will end next month, feared he didn’t want to see it again. “It will hit me and my family hard when we face the possibility and inevitably live our car again,” said Davison. His parents are disabled and his mother is terminally ill. He’s the only breadwinner, and they’ve been through so much. “Before the vacation and the pandemic, we had lost our home to foreclosure and were evicted just a few weeks before Christmas in late 2019,” Davison said. They lived in their car for months until the parks closed, then in hotels for over a year. “They still drove me to work every day so I could at least make paycheck to paycheck so we could at least have hot meals,” said Davison, saying, “It’s mean, it’s just mean,” said Paul Cox, chairman of one Union that represents approximately 3,000 backstage workers employed in the live entertainment industry in central Florida. “So it’s going to be an absolute disaster for our employees,” said Cox. They are skilled workers from fireworks at Disney World to live trade shows and concerts. As a tourism industry, will we feel the effects in Florida like our bread and butter? Cox says it will. “It will be a domino effect.” That will affect the hospitality industry, it will affect the retail industry, it will affect, affect, affect, affect, “said Cox.” It’s literally just pulling the carpet Among them, those who will be able to find work elsewhere are likely to look for work and leave the industry. “He says for those who are not so lucky, they might end up on the grocery lines again.

ORLANDO, Fla. –

Florida has withdrawn from the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program.

For people in central Florida who have relied on that extra cash, the future seems a little more uncertain.

Connected: Florida will cut its $ 300 weekly unemployment benefit program

This is especially true for those who have been on vacation and are waiting for the green light to get back to work.

Other federal benefits will remain in place, but will expire on September 6th.

For 28-year-old Aaron Davison of Ocoee, who is a general-purpose worker on leave, fears that the federal unemployment program, which raised an additional $ 300 a week, would end next month was a fear he won’t experience again wanted.

“It will be hard for me and my family when we face the possibility and inevitable life in our car again,” said Davison.

His parents are disabled and his mother is terminally ill. He’s the only breadwinner, and they’ve been through so much.

“Before the vacation and the pandemic, we had lost our home to foreclosure and were evicted just a few weeks before Christmas in late 2019,” Davison said.

They lived in their car for months until the parks closed, then in hotels for over a year.

“They still drove me to work every day so I could at least make paycheck to paycheck so we could at least have hot meals,” Davison said.

“It’s mean, it’s just mean,” said Paul Cox, chairman of a union that represents about 3,000 backstage workers in the live entertainment industry in central Florida.

“So it’s going to be an absolute disaster for our employees,” said Cox.

They are skilled workers from fireworks at Disney World to live trade shows and concerts.

As the tourism industry, as our bread and butter, will we feel the effects of this in Florida?

Cox says it will be a domino effect.

“It’s going to affect the restaurant industry, it’s going to affect retailing, it’s going to affect, affect, affect, affect,” said Cox.

“It’s literally just about pulling the rug out from under them. Those who can find work elsewhere are likely to look for work and leave the industry.”

He says for those who are not so lucky, they might end up back on the food lines.

A “tidal wave” of an issue | New cash for lease help helps comprise tense housing state of affairs in East Tennessee

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Legal Aid of East TN helps connect people with aid. Lawyers say it eases tension between landlords and tenants. Here is how they can help you.

KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. – During the pandemic, millions of people in the US were late on rent or utility bills, straining tenant-landlord relationships.

New federal funds, some of which are provided by the American rescue plan that came into force in March, as well as expanded evacuation protection, help tenants and owners to experience a little less stress. For some people, it comes just in time.

“It’s barely in there right now,” said Holly Fuller of East Tennessee’s Legal Aid, a nonprofit law firm that helps low-income clients. “We have had the feeling for some time that this time of year is likely to be very difficult.”

The American rescue plan denotes approximately $ 40 billion for total housing allowance. More than $ 20 billion of this will go to state and local governments to meet rental and utility costs owed for low-income households.

The city of Knoxville and Knox County announced the new one Knox Housing Assistance Program that does exactly that.

CONNECTED: Knoxville officials announce the Knox Housing Assistance program

Both the renter and landlord must file an application for funding, but officials say the money can be used to pay rent or utilities up to 12 months overdue, and in some cases even future rent payments.

If you do not live in Knox County, there is a similar application process on the state housing website. Legal Aid of East Tennessee said if this money is approved it will go straight to the landlord.

If you do not have access to a computer or if you have a language barrier, you can call (844) 500-1112.

With this new aid and a year into the pandemic, Fuller said the number of people coming to aid at Legal Aid in East Tennessee has increased, especially because tenants know that eviction protection will expire in late June.

Currently, in addition to in-house attorneys, the organization is using grants to hire private attorneys to help with case loading.

“Tensions may have eased a little. Resources have started flowing, which gives some people a little breath. However, if nothing changes by the end of this month, the term we have used in our organization from the start will be a tidal wave. Said Fuller.

Fuller said the goal is to help clients come to an agreement that will benefit both the renter and the landlord – whether it be to get financial assistance or to work out an agreement to keep an eviction out of the renter’s records. In addition, she said her lawyers will guide people through the process if their landlord has already started the eviction process in court.

“Landlords are also in a tough spot and need some relief too. That is why it is so important to use the resources so we can solve the problem at both ends to try to accommodate our vulnerable people,” she said.

Legal Aid of East Tennessee can also help people move into safer, different living conditions or connect them to other community resources.

Fuller said her biggest advice was not to wait to get help.

“Call us as soon as you get a notice that something is going to happen,” she said. “It is so traumatic to think that you may be homeless. One stress response is to simply ignore it. Do not do that. We can help your stress, we can talk you through. “

Fuller said she has seen cases of tenants losing their homes because they didn’t apply for help on time or didn’t know how to get the money. She also said that in some cases, tenants are being represented late.

“Call us, call us quickly. We are here, we are here for you. The sooner we can start our relationship, the better, ”said Fuller.

To get in touch with Legal Aid from East Tennessee, you can call one of the offices at the end of their website.

Different scholarships allow them to serve people who fall into different categories.

In Knoxville, they are located at 607 West Summit Hill Drive SW or by calling (865) 637-0484.

Read more articles in our “Pay or Vacation: The Rent Crisis” series:

Charleston County has extra money for mortgage and utility help obtainable | Information

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Charleston County has announced a new round of funding for homeowners who are behind with mortgage and utility payments, but funding is very limited.

The district will start accepting applications from April 19 at 9:30 a.m. With only $ 175,000, money is sure to go quickly.

It is just the latest in a series of financial relief efforts designed to help people who have suffered financially from the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated rise in unemployment.

A previous Charleston County homeowner assistance program closed in late March. The $ 175,000 available on April 19th is funds that remain from this program.

The state also had a $ 25 million financing round to help with overdue mortgages that ran out quickly earlier this year.

For tenants, Charleston County launched a $ 12.4 million federally funded program on April 12thwhat’s still going on.

Charleston County prepares to distribute $ 12.4 million in rental and utility benefits

By April 15, the county had received about 1,000 Applications for rent assistance. To learn more about tenant assistance, call 855-452-5374 Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.

The final round of funding for homeowners in Charleston County is much smaller than previous efforts or the county’s ongoing rental assistance program because it is tied to another federal program that was part of the CARES Act.

The district does not decide how much money is available, but administers the federal funds.

To be eligible for assistance, homeowners must have an income that is no higher 80 percent of the region’s median income – This varies depending on the family size and is for example $ 46,000 for a single person or $ 59,150 for a family of three.

Applicants will also need to provide evidence that they have faced financial difficulties as a result of the pandemic. Charleston County homeowners are eligible unless they reside in the city of Charleston, which is separately funded by the federal government.

The support can pay mortgage and / or utility payments for up to six months and goes direct to the lender or utility company.

For April 19 information, call 843-202-6978 or https://charlestoncounty.org/departments/community-development/.

“We know that many of our Charleston County residents are struggling to pay their bills due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Jean Sullivan, the county’s community development director. “The Mortgage / Utility Assistance Program provides the relief they need to homeowners worried about foreclosure or turning on lights.”

State rental help program updating to get cash out faster

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RALEIGH, NC (WNCN) – Managed by the NC Bureau of Recovery and Resilience at the Department of Public Security, the HOPE program promotes housing stability during the ongoing pandemic by providing rental and supply assistance to avoid evictions and disruptions in the To prevent supply.

Funding for the HOPE program is provided to the state through the allocation of block grants for coronavirus from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and the allocation of coronavirus aid from the US Department of the Treasury.

More than 42,000 people across Germany have applied and were classified as eligible for pre-aid for the HOPE program.

As of Wednesday morning, more than 48,000 grants had been given to more than 34,000 households. This means that more than 7,400 applications have to be filled out.

  • Total amount: $ 129,899,702
  • Total Rental Amount: $ 114,023,886
  • Total Benefit Amount Awarded: $ 15,875,817

The state processed applications manually. After the application expired, the families waited months for money.

Now the state is switching to an automated system to get funds faster. It helped approve funding for more than 12,000 applications in a single day.

A new online portal will also be available so that missing information can be entered more quickly.

“Going one-by-one case management proved too time consuming to get people the help in the time they need it, and that’s why we implemented this formula-based automated approach,” he told Haley Pfeiffer Haynes, NCORR chief of foreign affairs.

Seductive landlords

While the program provides cash for owed rents back and future rents, its requirements put landlords in a difficult position.

The terms meant that landlords may not be able to evict someone for the remainder of their lease, even if they fall behind again.

Now the state has changed policy so landlords can’t evacuate someone for even 60 days.

“This reduces the risk for the landlord, but also protects the tenant from eviction for at least 60 days from the date of the agreement,” said Haynes.

Every fifth household has problems with rent

The Center for budget and political priorities analyzed the latest census data and found that 14 million renters, or one in five renters, were neglected by rent. It found that colored tenants were more likely to struggle to pay their rent than white tenants during the pandemic.

Source: Center for Budget and Policy Priorities

In terms of mortgages, the survey found that nearly 12 million adults were struggling to keep up with monthly payments.

The distress was not limited to the hoses. CBPP also found that one in three children who lived in rental apartments also did not have enough to eat.

If you are at risk of evictions, Click here to read Legal Aid NC’s eviction guide.

DVIDS – Information – Cash issues: Bliss ACS Monetary Readiness Program helps shoppers with training, supplies AER help

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The start of a new year can instigate the thought of setting financial goals and finding new ways to keep up with monetary decisions. This may sound like an easy task, but what rules define the best way to keep finances on track? What kind of budget is effective? When is the best time to start saving? Is Financial Support Available?

These are just a few of the questions answered as part of the Fort Bliss Army Community Service Financial Readiness Program. This resource provides advice and educational assistance on managing finances, eliminating debt, setting financial goals, and developing money management skills. Through the FRP, soldiers suffering from financial difficulties can also seek help through the army’s emergency aid program.

Despite all of the FRP services on offer, there is still an uncomfortable stigma about turning to consultants, said FRP manager Philip Chang.

As a veteran in the army, Chang said he remembered working with young recruits who did not know where to seek financial help and who felt uncomfortable receiving help from the military.

“It was so easy for these new soldiers to make big purchases and buy new cars,” he said. “Many of them were so excited to receive their first check and spend all of their income without taking the time to plan future bills and expenses.”

Chang added that when joining the military, many members of the military are usually careful to sign a vehicle and not read the fine print about the high interest rates that are incurred over the life of the loan. “It is only after the contract is signed that the soldiers realize they may have lower prices available,” he said.

“I’ve been where you are and I know what it feels like to get that first paycheck and want to spend it right away,” said Chang. “Now that I am part of the FP program, I see the importance of financial planning. Our first mission is to reduce the debts of soldiers and family members. We want to be their first way out – and never their last – strong finances are the basis for strong families. “

Military ID holders who enroll for the FRP are assigned an accredited, licensed financial advisor who focuses on debt management and basic banking resources. The program begins with an assessment worksheet listing expenses, savings, and income ratios.

Virtual classroom sessions provide information on saving and investing, planning savings goals, reducing debt, and saving for emergencies. Financial highlights describe budget management, building up credit, personal financial planning for use, transition and relocation insurance, and writing checks.

Marion Walker, a member of the FRP team, said requests for training and advice have increased since the COVID-19 pandemic began, but staff are fully prepared to continue to schedule appointments and walk-ins. She explained that all arriving soldiers will receive practical financial solutions and ways to avoid debt traps during their in-processing briefings.

“Managing finances can be very overwhelming,” said Walker. “I always try to ask each customer what money problem they want to address first, and then take it step-by-step to help them meet their financial goals.”

Active and retired Soldiers suffering from financial difficulties can also seek assistance through the Army Emergency Relief Fund, which provides assistance to eligible ID holders in the form of interest-free loans or grants based on financial needs.

AER loans can help with overdue bills, food aid, rent, emergency leave, medical and mortgage payments. In addition, any AER loan can be converted into a grant in whole or in part based on financial needs and income.

Raul Minjarez, deputy head of the AER, said soldiers do not have to go through their chain of command to apply for a loan and no appointments are required. In an emergency outside of business hours, the request will be forwarded through the American Red Cross. On average, loan applications typically take 24 to 48 hours, but times can vary.

Heightened the dangers of “payday loans”, Minjarez said he worked with soldiers who originally signed up for $ 100 loans. However, due to the hidden interest accumulation, more than $ 1,000 was raised within one year.

“With an AER loan, you will never pay back more than you originally asked, and there are never any hidden interest or fees,” he said. “It’s just about soldiers helping other soldiers.”

The Fort Bliss AER has served more than 3,000 soldiers, retirees and their families with interest-free loans or grants of more than $ 4 million per year.

To learn more about Bliss Financial Preparedness Programs offered through ACS, visit
https://bliss.armymwr.com/programs/financial-readiness-program
https://bliss.armymwr.com/programs/army-emergency-relief-aer

Recording date: 01/26/2021
Release Date: 01/26/2021 3:52 PM
Story ID: 387673
Place: FORT BLISS, TX, USA
Hometown: EL PASO, TX, USA
Hometown: LAS CRUCES, NM, USA
Web views: 9
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This work, Monetary Matters: The Bliss ACS Financial Readiness Program assists clients with training and provides AER assistance, by Stephanie Santos, identified by DVIDS, must adhere to the restrictions specified on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.

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