Tenants can apply for help with rent and utilities

Apr. 18—Pennsylvanians can get help paying rent or utility bills before losing their home or having services shut off through a program that gave $1.3 million to Luzerne County residents in the past month.

Since March 8 when the Emergency Rental Assistance program started, 742 Luzerne County residents have applied for funds, Jennifer Warabak of Commission on Economic Opportunity said Thursday during a video news conference with state and county officials who administer the program.

While income levels to qualify vary by county, Pennsylvanians who are eligible can share in $847 million that the federal government gave to the state for coronavirus relief this year.

"This program is a big deal. It has the potential to stabilize the lives of millions of Pennsylvanians in vulnerable housing situations," said Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller, who encouraged people to apply fast. "It's first come, first served."

Tenants generally can obtain assistance for up to 12 months, and in some cases 15 months, for not only bills that are due, but also future payments.

The program also covers bills for electricity, gas, water, sewer, trash removal and deliverable fuels including oil and coal. Wyoming is among a few counties that also cover internet service.

To qualify:

—Households can earn no more than 80% of their county's median income.

—At least one person in each house must have had financial hardship from the pandemic. That includes receiving unemployment benefits or incurring an increase in household costs or a decrease in income.

—And at least one person in the house must show a risk of becoming homeless.

Schuylkill County residents can apply through the state's Compass website

Carbon County residents apply through Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Allentown.

In Luzerne, people can apply to CEO, which administers the county's program.

Warabak, who is CEO's director of planning, said people with eviction notices get priority, and payments can go directly to landlords.

Landlords indirectly benefit from the program and can apply for assistance on behalf of tenants.

A University of Pennsylvania study that Miller cited said the pandemic hurt landlords, especially smaller landlords who are more likely to make concessions or forgive rent.

The study, "Understanding Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Outcomes and Utility Insecurity Resulting from COVID-19," was released March 31 and found that the pandemic struck minority households harder than other Pennsylvanians.

"Low-income Black and Latinx residents are more likely to be rent-burdened and pay more money toward their utility bills than their counterparts," the study said.

Despite moratoriums in place during part of the pandemic, more than three in 10 Black respondents to surveys reported being evicted or forced to move between March and September 2020, the study said.

Pennsylvania had a moratorium in place through Aug. 31, 2020. Evictions shot up until Sept. 4, 2020 when a federal moratorium took effect. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month extended the moratorium through June 30.

While the moratorium offers protection to individuals earning less than $99,000 or couples with incomes below $199,000, tenants have to take steps to avoid evictions. They include applying for federal assistance and showing that a wage cut or extraordinary medical expenses prevent them from paying full rent.

Consequently, evictions have continued but at lesser rates than before the moratoriums were in place.

For utility customers, moratoriums prevented companies from shutting off service such as or electricity and gas through March 31 of customers who earned up to three times the federal poverty.

While the utility moratorium has expired, customers with those incomes still can obtain payment plans and other help to keep their heat and lights on from their utility companies.

Between March and September last year, Pennsylvanians collectively were behind on monthly bills by $55 million for electricity, $35 million for gas and $5 million for water, the study.

Contact the writer: kjackson@standardspeaker.com; 570-501-3587