LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Landlords in Kentucky were given the green light to start filing to evict tenants for nonpayment of rent on Aug. 1, and tenants affected by the coronavirus pandemic could find themselves without a home.
Louisville Metro Government is encouraging renters who need assistance to apply for help through the Eviction Prevention COVID-19 Relief Fund, which was announced in July and received more than $21 million from the federal coronavirus relief package from March.
"To date, we have about 2400 people in queue and we're still taking appointments," Cassandra Miller, the Neighborhood Place manager, said.
Miller, who also serves as the social services, policy and advocacy manager for the Office of Resilience and Sustainability, which is managing the fund, said the average approved applicant receives around $2,200, which is usually three month’s rent.
"I know that a lot of clients feel the pressure of the threat of eviction being upon them and I know that landlords are anxious about getting payments," she said.
According to Miller, to qualify for assistance, the tenant must have lost income directly due to the pandemic and must have received past due or eviction notices from their landlord. The tenant's household income must also be at or below 80 percent of the area median income.
Miller said the fund also needs a guarantee from the landlord that an eviction will no longer be imminent after the payment assistance. She said most of the landlords have been easy to work within this regard.
"Landlords are just happy that this level of assistance is available because some of the folks we have seen come through our doors, they are more than three months past due," she said. "The very first thing that people should do is to reach out to their landlords. Do not run away from those notices."
The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled landlords could begin filing to evict tenants for failing to pay rent on August 1 despite Governor Andy Beshear's indefinite moratorium on evictions during the pandemic.
"This is really not the season to let your pride get in the way of seeking out assistance," Miller said. "Housing is no longer a luxury. It is something that everybody has to have."
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Saturday on providing assistance to renters and homeowners but did not provide any monetary relief in the order. Instead, it calls for Alex Azar, the Health and Human Services Secretary, and Robert Redfield, the director of the CDC, to consider the need for a ban on evictions. The order also calls for Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and HUD Secretary Ben Carson to look for any more federal funding.
Even if the federal moratorium on evictions, which expired July 24, is extended, it only covered tenants living in buildings with federally guaranteed mortgages, leaving many tenants unprotected.
To make an appointment with the Eviction Protection COVID-19 Relief Fund, call 502-977-6636 or visit the website here.
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.