Nassau County Executive Laura Curran announced Tuesday that a $6 million county program has been launched to provide rental relief for residents struggling to pay their rent due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Rental Relief Program, which will be administered by the Community Development Corporation of Long Island, will provide up to three consecutive months’ unpaid rent for the period beginning April 2020.
Payment will be made directly to the landlord or property owner after the tenant’s loss in wages/pay and income eligibility has been demonstrated.
“Nassau County’s rental relief program will extend a lifeline to renters and landlords struggling to make ends meet due to the pandemic. The need for relief has never been greater, and the County will continue to do all it can to help residents get to the other side of this crisis. I thank CDC-LI for their partnership in this endeavor and am grateful for the important services they provide for our residents,” Curran said in a statement.
“Home matters now more than ever,” CDCLI President and CEO Gwen O’Shea said in a statement. “CDCLI is proud to partner with Nassau County to provide housing stability for Nassau County renters. The financial burden and uncertainty this pandemic has caused is really unimaginable; especially for households that were struggling prior to COVID. This program will begin to alleviate some of that burden for renters, landlords and our local economy.”
The county says it will utilize funding provided from its allocation of federal Community Development Block Grant – COVID-19 relief funds through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The funds were often directed throughout the pandemic to support Nassau residents and businesses, including food distribution efforts, “Boost Nassau” business loans and free PPE kits, increased mental health and support services. Based on an estimate of rental support per individual/family and available grant funding, Nassau anticipates being able to support approximately 900 households.
Eligible applicants include individuals renting a home or apartment in Nassau County as indicated in a lease agreement in effect as of March 2020. A renter’s total household income must be at or below 80 percent of the area median income; for a single person the maximum income is $70,900; for two persons $81,050; for three persons $91,150, and so on.
Monthly rental payments can go up to HUD’s established 2020 Fair Market Rents by unit size, as follows: efficiency ($1,298); one-bedroom ($1,624); two-bedroom ($1,992); three-bedroom ($2,563) and so on.
Renters must have a demonstrated loss of income due to COVID 19; must have been current on their rent prior to March 2020 and not be related to the property owner/landlord; and will have to disclose any funds they received to assist with missed rent payments such as the New York State COVID Rent Relief Program.
Individuals may still qualify for the Nassau County Rent Arrears Program if there is still an outstanding rental arrears, but they are not permitted to accept a duplication of award/rent from both programs.
Eligible impacted renters submit an online Initial Inquiry Form, which will be received in a three-week period. Once the initial inquiry period closes, forms will be randomly assigned lottery number to ensure fairness, and then selected residents will be invited to complete a full application in numerical order. Although residents are encouraged to complete the process on-line, support will be available by phone if needed.
Payments will be made directly to the property owner or property manager, and the property owner or landlord must agree to accept the program funds as payment in full for the covered months.
The program will kick off with a two-week marketing and outreach campaign to be conducted by CDC-LI, to promote the program prior to the opening of the application process. Beginning Jan. 6, CDC-LI will ask interested residents to submit an “Initial Inquiry Form,” which will allow CDC-LI staff to make an initial determination about the potential applicant’s eligibility. The “Initial Inquiry Form” will be available online beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Jan. 6 at www.cdcli.org/.
