Kansas creates rental aid program to help reduce evictions, pay landlords
Kansans who might have trouble paying their rent because of financial difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic can now apply for up to $5,000 in rental assistance from the state.
Gov. Laura Kelly announced the Kansas Eviction Prevention Program Wednesday. The state allocated about $35 million in federal funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security, or CARES, Act in attempt to reduce evictions across the state.
“Keeping Kansans in their homes and businesses has been a top priority for my administration since the pandemic began,” Kelly said in a statement. “Through this program, we will provide support to tenants and landlords experiencing pandemic-related financial stress, ensure families and businesses stay put, and keep Kansans safe and healthy.”
Landlords and tenants can apply for the funding through a joint online process at kshousingcorp.org. Applicants who are approved will receive no more than nine months worth of assistance and $5,000 per household.
The program funds are limited, according to the governor’s office. The state will process applications in the order it receives them until assistance runs out.
If the state approves an application, it will offer the assistance directly to the landlord, who would then apply the payment to the tenant’s account and waive any late fees for that month, according to the program website.
Other eligibility requirements include:
- Renters missed one or more payments since April 1 in relation to the coronavirus pandemic
- Tenants must demonstrate that the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on their employment or income
Tenants’ household income is at or below 85 percent of the state median income, or $63,920 for a household of four
Neither the renter nor the landlord received monthly rental assistance from another organization for the same month in which they requested state aid
The state office overseeing COVID-19 recovery efforts in Kansas recommended the program, which the State Finance Council approved. The Kansas Housing Resources Corporation will administer the details of the funds.
“As more Kansans are doing online learning and teleworking, being able to stay in your home has never been more important,” said Ryan Vincent, executive director of the state housing resources agency, in a statement.
Advocates across the country have raised concern that evictions will be on the rise this fall, after expanded $600 unemployment benefits and a federal eviction ban expired at the end of July. Kansas has since enacted an extra $300 in unemployment payments that applicants receive retoactively for about a month.
A state moratorium on evictions in Kansas expired at the end of May. Kelly briefly reinstated that ban for two weeks in August and called on Congress to act to provide more relief funding for people experiencing financial hardship during the pandemic.
Various organizations in Sedgwick County offer rental assistance as well. Contact the Center of Hope, Wichita Sedgwick County Community Action Partnership or United Way of the Plains for details.
More information on the program, application and eligibility is available online at kshousingcorp.org/eviction-prevention-program.
This story was originally published October 21, 2020 at 6:35 PM.
