![]() According to Steele, funding for this program comes from the American Rescue Plan, the federal COVID-19 stimulus bill that passed early this spring. The Rental Assistance Program, which launched in February, is designed to aid all Connecticut households who can present proof of financial hardship because of the pandemic. “Because I know that more than 10 people in New Haven need rental assistance, and all of this money is on the table.” “It’s a complex system that really needs some work rolling out … getting the message into the communities so that they can take advantage of it,” said Reverend Kelcy Steele, pastor of Varick Memorial AME Zion Church and the director of neighborhood and faith-based partnerships for the Bridgeport nonprofit Supportive Housing Works. In the face of an unexpectedly low number of applicants, local community groups have begun outreach efforts to make this program accessible to all who need it. This money, which would cover rent and utility payments for households making up to 80 percent of the area’s median income, has gone largely unused in the Elm City. Three months after its launch, a statewide rental assistance program that offers as much as $10,000 each to tenants and homeowners has distributed grants to only ten New Haven households.Ĭonnecticut’s Department of Housing originally put aside $235 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds for its UniteCT Emergency Rental Assistance Program, with the goal of stabilizing the state’s housing market and helping residents facing eviction.
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