Emergency rental assistance office opens in Albany County
Laramie Interfaith and Family Promise of Albany County have opened a new office dedicated to housing assistance for residents experiencing the financial impacts of Covid-19.
Laramie Interfaith and Family Promise of Albany County are opening a new office, dedicated to connecting county residents with federally-funded rental assistance. Those funds are available through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program — one component of the nation’s COVID-19 response.
Wyoming received $200 million from that program. While $180 million will either be spent on rental assistance, utility payments, or returned to the federal government, the remaining $20 million was set aside to help organizations like Interfaith and Family Promise connect people with the program and walk them through the application process.
The Albany County Commissioners voted to give Laramie Interfaith more than $94,000 and Family Promise $30,000. They also awarded the Downtown Clinic $10,500 in the same motion, bringing the total distributed by Albany County to around $134,500. Commission Chair Pete Gosar, who helps run the Downtown Clinic, abstained from the vote.
That money is already being put to use, Interfaith’s news release states.
“Our goal is to get as many people as possible the help they need to stay in their homes,” Interfaith Executive Director Joshua Watanabe says in the release. “We know our community has struggled through this crisis, but we’re here to help.”
The 528 S. Adams Street office is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., but by appointment only. You can schedule an appointment by calling the Laramie Interfaith main phone number, 307-742-4240 and selecting the case management option.
Due to ongoing high call volumes, individuals interested in the program are asked to leave a message on the answering machine, although Watanabe says in the release they should expect a timely response.
“Clients should be aware that the application process can take quite a while,” Watanabe says. “Because of this, anyone looking for help should call and set up an appointment with an ERA processor. We will attempt to be as efficient as possible but want to ensure folks are getting all of the rent assistance they need.”
Interfaith and Family Promise staff can assist Albany County residents through the application process, but the approval of applications and the distribution of funds are decided by state officials in the Department of Family Services.
“We are working to support the state’s role out of the ERAP office,” Albany County Family Promise Executive Director Cole Nutter said. “We are a community-based organization and our job is very simple. We are here to help families who are at risk of eviction.”
According to data from the Department of Family Services, as of August 13, 2,245 applications had been submitted and 1,031 had been accepted and offered funding. A total of funds distributed to the accepted applications reached $3.2 million.
There is $180 million available to eligible Wyoming residents who are experiencing difficulties to make rent and utilities payments from repercussions of COVID-19. But that amount must be spent by September 2022. If Wyoming does not disburse that money, the remaining amount will be redistributed to states, cities, territories or tribes that did spend their entire amount.
A U.S Department of the Treasury FAQ provides some clarification on who qualifies for the ERA Program.
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