Rent, utility assistance program launches for Kansans in need amid COVID-19 pandemic
Kansas launched a new rent and utility assistance program this week that could cover up to 12 months of rent and past due utility costs for Kansans in need.
The Kansas Emergency Rental Assistance program, which launched March 15, covers up to a year of current and past due rent, up to three months of prospective rent, and past due utility and internet costs.
To apply, Kansans must meet these requirements:
- Tenant rents their home.
- 2020 household income did not exceed 80 percent of area’s median income.
- At least one member of the household is experiencing documented financial hardship as a result of the COVID pandemic.
- At least one member of the household is uncertain where they will stay or may become homeless without assistance.
- Applicant can provide valid proof of identification.
“Keeping Kansans in their homes and businesses — and ensuring they have access to the high-speed internet needed for telehealth, telework, and virtual school — has been a top priority for my administration since day one,” Gov. Laura Kelly said in a statement. “This program will be critical in ensuring Kansans can stay secure in their homes, stay warm, and maintain access to the internet.”
Tenants and landlords have to apply for the funding together. After a landlord completes the online certification, the tenant can apply online. If it’s approved, the landlord or service providers are paid directly from the KHRC, which they will then apply to the tenant’s account.
In a news release about the new program, the Kansas City Board of Public Utilities said it would end the disconnection moratorium on March 31. Disconnections will start again on April 1.
Evergy’s disconnection moratorium was extended through May 2.
The Kansas Housing Resources Corporation, a nonprofit that is the primary administrator of federal housing programs for the state, posted on Twitter that the program is the largest in its history.
“Home has always been a place of shelter, but during the pandemic it’s become so much more,” KHRC executive director Ryan Vincent said in a statement. “The outpouring of interest we saw in the (Kansas Eviction Prevention) program demonstrated the tremendous need COVID has created across our state.
Wichita is administering its own assistance program. KERA serves people outside of Wichita.
The program’s $200 million in statewide rental assistance is funded through the federal Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and the KHRC announced last month.
Kansas’ last assistance program, the 2020 Kansas Eviction Prevention Program, received more than 10,100 applications for more than $25 million in aid in about 60 days. That represents, the state said, 27,200 Kansans who have been impacted financially by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This story was originally published March 16, 2021 at 1:14 PM.
