As of June 11, Weld County Government has issued over $2 million in financial assistance to residents who were struggling to pay rent and utility expenses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In late January of 2021, Weld County received roughly $9.8 million through the federal ERA program established by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. Since the launch of the Weld County ERA program in February, over 1,000 requests for assistance have been processed.
“The Emergency Rental Assistance program allows Weld County residents who are experiencing financial hardship to access much needed financial assistance”, explained Commissioner Perry Buck, “$2 million is definitely something to be proud of, however, we have only scratched the surface. There are many additional individuals and families in need, and thankfully we will be there to help as many as possible.”
The Weld County ERA program is managed by the Department of Human Services (DHS) and assistance is available to eligible households. An eligible household is defined as a Weld County rental household in which members meet the following criteria:
- Income is below 80% of Area Median Income (AMI); and
- Household members are or will be unable to pay rent and/or utilities due to experiencing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic; and
- Household members have not already been approved for or received financial assistance for rental and/or utility expenses for the requested time period; and
- Household members can demonstrate being at risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability.
To apply or learn more, please visit https://www.weldgov.com/Government/Departments/Human-Services/Emergency-Rental-and-Utility-Assistance-ERA.