Officials with the Paso del Norte Community Foundation (PDNCF) announced Monday that they and their partners have disbursed more than $1.3 million to landlords across El Paso as part of the EP Rent Help Program.
However, program officials add that as uncertainty lingers over the future of enhanced unemployment benefits, they encourage landlords to proactively ensure their eligibility for future rounds of rental assistance funding by visiting EPRentHelp.org and completing the eligibility verification process now.
“The first rounds of funding addressed the immediate needs of tenants who were facing eviction due to financial hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Tracy Yellen, CEO of the Paso del Norte Community Foundation. “We’re still accepting applications for those who still need urgent assistance but we recognize as other forms of direct assistance begin to go away, another wave of potential evictions is likely on the horizon and we want to help landlords get ahead of that.”
Officials say that by verifying their property’s eligibility now, landlords will be a step ahead if their tenants require assistance in the coming weeks.
Millions of dollars in federal CARES Act funding remains available for landlords in the City of El Paso through the EP Rent Help program.
“Evictions aren’t just bad for tenants, they’re costly for landlords,” said Scott Lynch, President of the El Paso Apartment Association.
“While landlords must agree to certain conditions including capping some fees and agreeing not to evict a tenant for at least 60 days after rental assistance is received, our analysis shows the net benefit to landlords far exceeds the losses they might incur participating in the program.”
The recent analysis by the El Paso Apartment Association pins the average cost for a landlord to evict a tenant at more than $2,000 per unit.
Information regarding the program:
- The EP Rent Help Program is granting millions of dollars in federal CARES Act funding to landlords within the City of El Paso.
- Landlords must apply on behalf of their tenants.
- Tenants will be required to provide information to their landlords to complete the application.
- We will not ask your immigration status nor will it be used in making decisions about who receives funding awards.
A fund of the Paso del Norte Community Foundation, Under One Roof is a charitable organization of the El Paso Apartment Association established to provide financial and other support to residents of El Paso County who have been harmed by disasters such as fire, flood or pandemic, and support the professional development of owners, managers and staff of rental properties.
Recently, the City of El Paso selected a collaborative proposal from the PDN Community Foundation and Under One Roof to administer funding for rental assistance to serve thousands of El Pasoans who are facing the prospect of losing their homes due to the health and economic crisis caused by COVID-19.
For more information, visit EPRentHelp.org.
