Portland offers $500K in pandemic-related rent and utility assistance
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The city of Portland is making $500,000 available to help low-income households pay rent and utility bills as a result of the pandemic.
The city of Portland is making $500,000 available to help low-income households pay rent and utility bills as a result of the pandemic.
The program will provide up to $750 per month for three months of rent assistance, for a total of $2,250, and up to $250 in utility expense assistance, according to a news release.
The funds come through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
The program is designed to alleviate the housing burden for low-income households that have lost their employment income as the result of the pandemic.
Program guidelines and eligibility requirements are available on the city’s website. Click here for more information and application.
To be eligible, applicants must have a household income no more than 80% of the area's median income, as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and must have lost household income as a result of COVID-19. Examples include being laid off, working reduced hours, or having to stay home to care for children because a day care or school has closed.
In May, the Portland Housing Authority was awarded $737,368 from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development to help prevent, prepare and respond to COVID-19 outbreaks in public housing.
The award was part of a $2.45 million allocation to 19 housing authorities across Maine through the supplemental appropriations bill as part of the Phase 3 CARES Act coronavirus emergency response package.
In April, Portland received $1.14 million through the the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant program and $573,734 through its Emergency Solutions Grants program to help with housing, homelessness and COVID-19 prevention and response efforts.
That money was part of an overall allocation from HUD of $16.5 million to eight Maine government and nonprofit organizations.
The city of Portland also launched three emergency business assistance programs in May.
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