Residents of Fulton County can begin applying for as much as $1,500 in rent or utility assistance starting Monday.
The Fulton County Board of Commissioners are using some of the $18 million allocated by the U.S. Consolidated Appropriations Act for a rental assistance plan to help residents impacted by the COIVD-19 pandemic with their rent and utilities.
The federal government has qualifications renters need to meet before receiving benefits. The plan will prioritize households affected by unemployment for 90 days or more and households whose incomes dropped by 50 percent or more.
Rental assistance will be allocated up to $1,300 per month for up to six months, officials said. Utility assistance is capped at $200 per month, also for six months.
The fund applies to Fulton County residents outside Atlanta city limits. The county estimates approximately 2,500 households are eligible for rental assistance, and approximately 1,100 households are eligible to receive utility assistance.
"This was right on time, because people are hurting," District 6 Commissioner Khadijah Abdur-Rahman said in a written statement. "Our staff has been working around the clock to get the program up and running. Too many families have had to choose between paying for medicine and food or keeping a roof over their heads. That to me is just unacceptable in a civilized society."
An online application is available Monday and more information is available at http://www.fultoncountyga.gov/renthelp.
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