BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The Community Action Lehigh Valley (CALV) is opening up $1.5 million in Emergency Rental Assistance Program funding.
- The Community Action Lehigh Valley (CALV) has $1.5 million available in emergency rental assistance
- The money is meant to help families dealing with or at risk of homelessness, due to the coronavirus pandemic
- The money is available for those who live in Lehigh County and meet the household income guidelines
The money is meant to help families dealing with or at risk of homelessness, due to the coronavirus pandemic. It can be used for rent, rental arrears, utilities and home energy costs/arrears, and other expenses related to housing.
"We prioritize people of very low income and extremely low income."Katherine Duque, the compliance director at Community Action Lehigh Valley
"We prioritize people of very low income and extremely low income," said Katherine Duque, the compliance director at CALV.
It's hard to estimate how much will be distributed, Duque said, because different people have different rents and not everyone is behind.
"One person could have a rent of $1,200, and could be behind two months," she said. "One person their rent could be $2,000, they could be behind five months.
"It really does depend on each individual basis."
Duque estimates if they distribute an average of $5,000 per person, they can help 200 to 300 people with the money they have left.
The deadline to distribute funds is in 2025, but Duque estimates they will not be available for long.
"We just process applications as they come in and prioritize," she said, "people with extremely low or very low incomes, and people who are unemployed for 90 days."
She notes the limit for assistance is 12 months, which includes past assistance as well.
Duque said the length of time to process applications depends on the application and landlord. If the application is completed with all the necessary documents, she says it can take one to two weeks to process.
According to the Community Action Lehigh Valley website, in order to qualify an applicant must:
- Be a resident of Lehigh County
- Must rent their home or apartment
- Demonstrate a financial impact that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic
The household income guidelines are:
- 1 Person - $50,750
- 2 Person - $58,000
- 3 Person - $65,250
- 4 Person - $72,500
- 5 Person - $78,300
- 6 Person - $84,100
- 7 Person - $89,900
- 8 Person - $95,700
The program was created as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or the CARES Act. Originally, Lehigh County was allocated just under $40 million for ERAP.
Prior to January of 2022, Catholic Charities was in charge of the program. Since CALV took over, they have distributed $18 million in funds to more than 2,300 people.
CALV distributes the funds on behalf of Lehigh County. It also meets regularly with the State Department for monthly Department of Human Services meetings.