HOULTON, Maine — A federal relief program meant to provide rental assistance to residents of Aroostook County found itself experiencing high volumes of applications on March 1, its first day of service.
The Emergency Rental Assistance Program, part of the federal COVID-19 stimulus package passed by U.S. Congress in December, allocated $200 million in rental assistance to residents across the state. The program is being administered in The County by the Presque Isle-based Aroostook County Action Program, while the overall statewide effort is being overseen by MaineHousing, the state’s independent housing authority.
But the service was quickly inundated with applications from Aroostook residents, causing ACAP and MaineHousing to ask applicants to show patience as they sort through the large number of requests for rental assistance, saying it may take several days to respond to an individual applicant.
“This is a much needed resource for County residents who have been economically impacted by the ongoing pandemic,” Jason Parent, CEO of ACAP, said. “We fully intend to process and follow-up on all of the applications, in the order we receive them. We appreciate the understanding of those who apply that it may take several days for the initial communication from us on your application, but we promise we will be in touch.”
In order to be eligible for assistance, renters must be below a certain income level, depending on household size and location throughout the state. In Aroostook County, the limit for a family of four is $58,200, while a household with just one person has to be below $37,700.
In addition, renters must also have had their income reduced, have gone on unemployment or experienced other financial hardships since March 13 of last year. They must also show they have been at risk for losing their housing, such as through an eviction notice or borrowing money in order to pay rent and utilities.
The new funding also allows the implementation of an assistance program which can last up to 15 months, eliminating the need for renters to continuously apply for relief or keep track of changing guidelines, according to ACAP.
“We have been working with the Community Action Agencies every day to craft a program to meet federal guidelines, but more importantly the needs of Mainers,” Daniel Brennan, director of MaineHousing, said. “We are eager to get these funds to those who need it. As with every new system that agencies, businesses and organizations are creating to deal with COVID-19, we are doing our best to incorporate lessons learned and customer feedback.”
Renters looking to apply for the assistance online, as well as view additional information regarding the program, can do so by visiting www.mainehousing.org/covidrent.
