Colorado Springs and El Paso County have received about $21.4 million in federal rental and utilities assistance for residents in need and expects the aid will be ready for distribution before the national eviction moratorium expires at the end of March.
It s funding that could help the community dodge the eviction tsunami some have predicted could happen once protections for renters expire, said Laura Nelson, executive director of the Apartment Association of Southern Colorado. Thus far, rental assistance from the state and other sources has helped keep rent paid and delinquency rates low locally, she said. I don’t think there’s going to be the tsunami, she said.
Rent sign closeup against brick building Andriy Blokhin/Shutterstock.com
Help is on the way for those who owe back rent due to COVID-19, but exactly how far the money will stretch isn t yet clear.
The national appropriations bill passed in December by Congress allotted $25 billion nationwide for emergency rental assistance. Colorado s share is $383 million, which includes $14 million earmarked for Colorado Springs and $7 million for El Paso County. The money just arrived days ago, according to Barb Van Hoy, a policy analyst with the city s community development division. (Disclosure: She is also the former director of the
Indy-sponsored Give! Campaign)
Debra Thum had been crawling up the stairs of her home following a series of heart attacks that left her constantly short of breath before her new stairlift was installed