If you’re a renter having trouble paying your rent, utilities, or other housing costs – or if you’re a landlord trying to stay afloat with tenants in this situation – help may be available. State and local programs are distributing billions of dollars in rental assistance to help renters stay housed during the pandemic.

CFBP Rental Assistance

Visit the CFPB’s Rental Assistance Finder to find out what this means for you and what you can do. The CFPB’s site also includes resources to help renters and landlords understand other resources to help navigate various financial hardships related to the pandemic.

County Emergency Rental Assistance

 Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes announced that the Mercer County Department of Human Services, in partnership with the Board of Social Services, is reopening its Emergency Rental Assistance Program to provide financial relief toward unpaid rent or utility bills for renter households in Mercer County that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Starting Aug. 1, applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until all funds are expended. 

To determine eligibility, Mercer County households are required to document that someone within the household qualified for unemployment benefits, experienced a reduction in income, suffered major costs directly or indirectly due to COVID-19 that impacted the household, and can demonstrate a risk of homelessness or housing instability. A household’s income must be at or below 80 percent Area Median Income (AMI) with priority given to households at or below 30 percent AMI.

If your household or tenant is in need of assistance with unpaid rent or utilities, you are encouraged to complete an application online at https://bit.ly/ERAPAPPLYII for the English version and https://bit.ly/ERAPIISpanish for the Spanish version, to call the Mercer County Board of Social Services for assistance at 609-389-3575, or to send an email to erap@mcboss.org. For more information, social workers from the Board are available Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to assist your household.

FHA Borrowers Eligible for Forbearance Relief

If you are struggling to make your mortgage payment on your FHA-insured mortgage because of COVID-19, help is available. Here are the steps you should take now.

Contact your mortgage servicer and request a COVID-9 forbearance. When working with your servicer, you should:

1) State that you are having a financial hardship due to COVID-19. You will not be required to provide documentation of this hardship;

2) Request a COVID-19 Forbearance for your mortgage payments;
3) Ask your servicer to confirm the details of your agreement in writing.

For help talking to your mortgage servicer or understanding your options, contact a HUD-approved housing counseling agency in your area.
Are you on an FHA COVID-19 Forbearance Plan that is about to expire on July 31st? You may be eligible for more assistance. Please reach out to your mortgage servicer today. Learn more at: https://www.hud.gov/coronavirus/resources_for_homeowners.

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