More rent, mortgage assistance to open for qualified Lakewood residents
The city of Lakewood has opened a program to provide one-time payments of mortgage and rental assistance to residents.
The federal Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) granted $807,337 in 2020 through the Community Development Block Grant COVID-19 program. This program was created to “prevent, prepare for, and respond to the social and economic impacts of the coronavirus outbreak.”
The City has allocated $703,426.59 of that for assistance to low-income and moderate-income households. The rest — $103,910.41 — was granted to 15 businesses and spent on program administration, program manager Jeff Gumm said. A total of 37 jobs were retained and one job was created with program.
The rental and mortgage assistance will provide up to $4,000 per qualifying household to help pay past-due rent or mortgage payments, a city webpage on the program said. Assistance is available for mortgage and rent expenses incurred up to Jan. 21, 2020.
“The Jan. 21, 2020 date is the furthest date we can use to go back and pay qualified expenses for the program,” city clerk Briana Schumacher said in an email. “Any expenses incurred before that date do not qualify for assistance; any expenses incurred after that date (up to current date) will qualify for assistance.”
An estimated 200 applicants will be randomly selected for assistance.
The federal funding has stipulations:
You must be renting or paying mortgage in Lakewood.
Your household income is at, or below, 80 percent of the “Area Median Income.”
You must have a valid current written lease signed by the landlord or a current mortgage statement.
You must be current on rent or mortgage payments up until Jan. 21, 2020. For purposes of this program “current in rent or mortgage” means the applicant must be within one month of current rent or mortgage due as of Jan. 21, 2020.
You must be able to document a financial hardship* that is directly related to COVID-19. The financial hardship must result in the reduction or loss of income (including job loss) after March 13, 2020.
You must be a U.S. citizen or have eligible immigration status.
The threshold of 80 percent of the “Area Median Income” in Lakewood ranges from $48,450 for a single individual household to $91,350 for a household of eight.
The city lists examples of COVID-19-related hardships as loss of income due to reduction in work, loss of income due to COVID-19 transmission or caring for a family member who caught the coronavirus, and loss of income due to complying with stay-home and self-quarantine orders.
Those renting property from family members, living in public housing or at risk of being evicted for reasons other than paying rent are not eligible for the program.
For those renting, landlords should be notified and must:
agree to waive late fees and interest for back rent
complete an Owner Certification Form
complete an electronic vendor payment form
provide a copy of tenant’s lease
agree to execute a three-party Rental Assistance Contract with the city and the tenant
Landlords cannot be forced to participate in the program, and a tenant’s application can be denied if a landlord refuses to participate, the city site said.
The application will be available online March 15, said Shannon Bennett with the City of Lakewood. The initial review is within seven days of receipt of application. When the program opens, completed applications will be accepted until 5 p.m., April 5.
To receive an application via mail or email, contact Shannon Bennett, program coordinator, at 253-983-7774 or sbennett@cityoflakewood.us.
This story was originally published March 7, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
