$3.5M available for HamCo renters affected by COVID-19

Hamilton County renters who lost income due to COVID-19 can apply for assistance.

PHONES RANG WILD AFTER WORDSPREAD OF NEW MONEY... FIVEMILLION DOLLARS... HAMILTONCOUNTY PLANS TO HAND PEOPLEWHO FACE EVICTION.IT COMESFROM A PILE OF CASH UNCLE SAMGAVE COMMISSIONERS FORPANDEMIC RELIEF.REPORTER LARRYSEWARD BREAKS IT DOWN.çPKGÑ(track)(graphic showingchunk breaking 142 into 3.5)with 142 million DOLLARS fromcongress to help hamiltoncounty through the coronaviruspandemic...commissioners ARETAKING three-and-a-halfMILLION OF IT for familiesmissing income.

(sot/ tc 4:41/denise driehaus/ hamilton cocommissioner)"...this willhelp people stay in homes andavoid eviction." (track)(graphic showing 3 entities)talbert house, communityaction agency and thefreestore foodbank each get(graphic showing pay 500HOUSEHOLDS each)shares to carefor 500 HOUSEHOLDS EACH.(graphic showingrent/utilities, up to threemonths, $2,500 max)aid paysrent AND utilities... $2,500max... up to three months...for anyone at or below areamedian incomes.(graphic showmedian incomes)for singles..that's 48-thousand 350 dollarsjust over 80-thousand forfamilies of six.

(sot frompresser/ tc 16:40/ kimmcclendon/ community actionagency)"this money came atjust the right time."(track)talbert house has a 24-hourhotlinescreening callers for thoseable to prove loss of income.(sot/ tc 6:58/ jimmy wilson/talbert house, vp)"we do knowthe reality is there are somefamlies that because of thenuance of their situation wemay not be able to help.

Thereare a number of partneragencies around the communitythat we can make referrals toand we'll try to make thoselinkages as we can." (track)this comes with the600-dollars-a-week federalpandemic assistance... orPUA... THAT ENDS in three days.AN eviction moratorium onfamilies in public housing ISALSO SUPPOSED TO END THISWEEK---BUT THAT'S NOW CHANGING.(graphic for cmha statement)ina statement... cincinnati'smetropolitan housing authorityTELLS us ITS board: "agreed toextend past the HUDdeadline... until septemberfirst..." to give familiesmore time to tap into rentalresources.

(nats aftab purevalfrom june pkg - tc :48)"weexpect for july and august...filings to skyrocket..."(track)last month... hamiltoncounty courts had ONE thousandcases backlogged and warned ofa coming eviction crisis.commissioners plan to spendanother million plus onlong-term eviction needs andinsist THE rental program isjust a start.

(larry looklive)"we asked about the rest ofthe county's 142-million CARESAct dollars.

IT spent 20MILLION on testing and areholding some for smallbusinesses to keep peopleemployed and able to pay rent.and if they are short money inthe new rental program...commissioner driehaus told meTHE COUNTY will adjust.

Larryseward... wcpo... nine news."