Heller said those applying for re-certification or applying for the program for the first time who are not undergoing eviction are worried the program will run out of money before they’re able to get assistance. Treasury required priorities,” Turner said. Re-certifications are not a priority with the UniteCT, according to “U.S. “They’re almost wanting their landlord to start an eviction so that they might be able to get help.” “I’m getting a lot of these calls from folks who just have never gotten assistance, but they applied back as long as October and are just desperate basically,” Heller said. His mother lives in South Carolina, and his dad’s house is already crowded, he said.
If he’s evicted, he doesn’t know where he’ll go. He’s had fewer hours to work since the pandemic began, partially because he’s been worried about contracting the illness since he developed symptoms of a heart condition. He said it’s been tough to get answers about the reason for the delays from the Department of Housing. He applied for a re-certification in October, and funds still haven’t come through. The woman said she can’t make rent because she’s been unable to return to work after contracting COVID-19.Ī Hartford resident, who declined to be named, has found himself in a similar situation. The woman said she hasn’t been assigned a new case worker after UniteCT reduced its staffing. The last of her information was submitted in December, Turner said. “It’s a constant theme.”Ī 51-year-old West Hartford resident, who did not want to be identified, said she first received funding in April, reapplied for funding in November and hasn’t gotten money. UniteCT allows up to $15,000 in rental assistance for qualifying tenants who have suffered financial losses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
#Unite ct rent relief login full#
Some are re-certifying their applications, meaning they’ve applied for and received some money, but not the full amount allowed under the program. Pamela Heller, a staff attorney at the Connecticut Fair Housing Center, said she’s received an increasing amount of calls from people who have waited for months for assistance. That was reduced this winter to 162 as of early last month, Turner said previously. At the height of the program in the fall, there were 250 people working on the program, and applications were being processed on an average of 15 days. Some staff were temporary workers, and others were department staff. The federally funded UniteCT program has been experiencing delays in getting money to tenants in recent months as the state Department of Housing reduced the number of staffers dedicated to the program. The department declined a request for an interview. “Each tenant case has its own set of variables and issues, which we address in an appropriate timeframe whenever possible,” Turner said in an emailed statement. The state Department of Housing had been prioritizing cases involving active eviction cases for those who earn less than 50 percent of the area median income, Turner said previously.Īpplicants have been seeing delays that can last months, renters and advocates said. Cases that are not completed by March 31 “will be withdrawn from the case review process,” the notice reads.ĭepartment of Housing spokesperson Aaron Turner directed those seeking more details to the UniteCT website for further information, instructions and links to the local UniteCT Resource Center.
0 kommentar(er)
