Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has announced financial assistance for renters, homeowners and residential landlords who have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and he said he is extending the residential eviction moratorium to August.
Lamont announced the plan on Monday to "put more than $33 million in state and federal resources to work to provide emergency assistance."
“The COVID crisis has taken a toll on many Connecticut families. We know that some renters and homeowners are having a hard time paying the costs of their housing. It’s critical that we provide emergency help so that they can stay housed, and to support residential landlords, many of who are mom-and-pop small businesses themselves,” Lamont said.
According to Lamont, here are some of the things included in the plan:
- $10 million rental assistance program for Conn. residents impacted by COVID-19. The Dept. of Housing will provide payments to landlords on behalf of tenants who are approved. The priority will be on lower-income households that have been denied unemployment insurance, Lamont said.
- $5 million for eviction prevention to help renters who were in the process of eviction before COVID-19 was declared a public health emergency.
- $10 million to provide mortgage relief to homeowners who have mortgages that are not federally insured and have suffered impacts from coronavirus.
- $4 million in rapid rehousing funds to help residents pay things like security deposits and initial rent to help them exit homelessness.
- $2.5 million rental assistance program for those who are ineligible for emergency assistance through the federal CARES Act. This includes those who are undocumented.
- $1.8 million for funding for reentry and rehousing assistance for people who are exiting incarceration.
Lamont also said he is extending the residential eviction moratorium to August 25, which he said would bring Connecticut's measures in line with federal measures.
He also said residents can extend the opportunity to apply a portion of any security deposit that is worth more than one month's rent toward rental payments.
Local
In addition to the state's assistance, Lamont said large Conn. cities received $10 million under the CARES Act Emergency Solution Grants program to help prevent homelessness and to support homeless populations. The Dept. of Housing is urging those cities to allocate some of the funding to help assist low and very low income families that are struggling.
According to Lamont, he previously allowed and encouraged municipalities to provide homeowners with a 90-day grace period on any property taxes due through July 1. Local financial institutions have also partnered with Lamont to give mortgagors who are impacted by COVID-19 more time to make payments.
For more information, visit:
- Connecticut Department of Housing: portal.ct.gov/doh
- Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA): www.chfa.org
- Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness (CCEH): cceh.org
