BUTLER COUNTY, Ohio — Roughly $1.5 million in rental assistance money is still available in Butler County, according to SELF, the organization administering the Emergency Rental Assistance Program for the county.
"We're hearing that we're still very much a godsend to a lot of households that have needed that assistance," said SELF executive director Jeffrey Diver.
He said while a lot of people see the COVID-19 pandemic as a thing of the past, its effects are still being felt by many and this program is one way to help.
Not everyone is eligible for the program, though. Here are the qualifications:
- You must be a Butler County resident.
- You must be at or below 80% of the Area Median Income. You can find more information on that here.
- You must have experienced a significant financial impact related to COVID-19.
"Examples would be somebody who had their employment cut in terms of the number of hours they worked because of COVID and the effects of COVID," Diver said. "Or it could be the increased costs that COVID brought all families."
He said the money can be used on rent, utilities and even cable.
"If individuals need that assistance, they need to get it in right away to us," Diver said.
He said SELF has had to put a pause on accepting applications several times already to give themselves time to catch up on processing the applications. And with more than 100 applications already submitted this time around, Diver said another pause could be coming sooner rather than later.
Anyone who needs help paying rent or utility bills and thinks they may qualify for the program can find the form to apply here.
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