For months, homeowners and renters have been protected by moratoriums that were put in place to prevent companies from shutting off utilities, and landlords from evicting renters.
The moratoriums, which have been in place since March due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, are set to end today, and Gov. Eric Holcomb said this week he would not extend them. But help is still available to those who have lost income due to the pandemic.
Township trustees are still referring those who need help to local and state programs that are set up to help with coronavirus-related financial hardships.
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Most recent calls for help have been rerouted to Indiana’s rental assistance program and the United Way of Johnson County’s COVID-19 helpline, said Lydia Wales, Franklin Township’s trustee.
About 98% of callers are helped by one of the two programs, but a few are sent back to the trustee’s office for assistance, Wales said. With so much other help available, trustees — right now — are conduits, directing residents to help that is funded by grants, such as those available by way of the CARES Act, rather than local tax dollars, she said.
“When we are finding people who don’t qualify for IHCDA (Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority’s rental assistance program), we send them to United Way. If they don’t qualify for either, they come back to us and we help them,” Wales said.
Renters in every Indiana county can seek help from the state’s rental assistance program. A total of $40 million has been directed to the program by way of CARES Act dollars distributed to the state, Holcomb said this week.
Applicants who can prove lost income related to the pandemic are eligible for up to $2,000 in rent help, according to the housing and community development authority. Renters do not have to be behind on rent to apply for assistance.
An expected wave of new residents seeking assistance has not yet hit trustee offices, but they are gearing up for the possibility of an increase next week.
This week, the Franklin Township Trustee Office was busy helping local residents with the state’s rental assistance applications, and also helping the state process those applications for other county residents, Wales said.
So far, Franklin Township employees have processed 37 applications for Johnson County renters. But that doesn’t include the number of applications processed by the housing and community development authority directly.
Eligible renters who are not behind will receive $500 a month for four months, Wales said. Those who are behind will receive $2,000, which will be applied to back rent first, with the remainder set aside for future rent payments, she said.
Since United Way’s Economic Assistance Plan — Navigating COVID-19 was set up in mid-March, the program has fielded 330 calls and given out $102,000 of the $900,000 that is available, according to data from United Way.
Through that program, eligible Johnson County residents receive case management that will help them evaluate their situation, assess what other assistance they might qualify for, and connect them to other resources such as unemployment and SNAP benefits, and local food pantries.
For those who need help paying their utility bills, they are advised to reach out to their utility providers and attempt to arrange a long-term payment plan, Wales said.
The two largest utilities in the county, Duke Energy and Johnson County REMC, both announced that customers will be spared from disconnection until at least Sept. 15. But, both utilities ask that customers who are behind on their bills reach out to make payment arrangements, according to their websites.
If residents are proactive and communicate their hardships, local and state agencies can help prevent financial consequences of the pandemic, such as eviction or utility disconnection, Wales said. However, residents will be on their own if they’re hit with legal fees due to an eviction or re-connection fees for utilities if they ignore it, she said.
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Here is a look at ways you can still get help during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic:
Get rental assistance
- To apply for the state’s rental assistance program, visit indianahousingnow.org/.
- The Franklin Township Trustee Office can provide all county residents help with rental assistance applications. For help, call the office at 317-736-7511.
Get help from United Way of Johnson County
- Call the helpline at 317-738-4636.
- Eligibility requirements are the following: resident of Johnson County at the time of job/income loss, job loss or a minimum 50% loss of family income since March 1, 2020 due to COVID-19, loss of household income because of death of income earner because of COVID-19, the participant agrees to take part in the case management program.
Call your local trustee office
- Phone numbers for Johnson County trustee offices are available at co.johnson.in.us/township-trustee-info/.
Call your utility company to arrange a payment plan
- For Duke Energy, visit duke-energy.com/customer-service to request an extension.
- For Johnson County REMC, call the customer service line at 317-736-6174 to make payment arrangements.
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