More founding is available to landlords in Cass, Sarpy and Washington counties affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area Planning Agency (MAPA) is accepting a second round of applications for financial assistance from landlords in Cass, Sarpy and Washington Counties impacted financially by the pandemic. MAPA says the landlord assistance program is an effort to help prevent evictions of low-to-moderate income renters. The Southeast Nebraska Affordable Housing Council (SENAHC) is working with MAPA and Nebraska’s seven other Economic Development Districts to distribute financial assistance to qualified landlords from a Community CARES Grant from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
MAPA is responsible for distributing $100,000 in CARES Act funding and an additional $68,000 in philanthropic funding for the program. Applications must be submitted to MAPA by November 8, 2020. Eligible landlords are those who have documented financial loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lease to low-to-moderate income tenants. Landlords must meet both criteria in order to participate. MAPA will distribute CARES funds to recoup lost rent or utility payments due to a tenant’s inability to provide a full payment after his or her employment was compromised as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
CARES financial assistance may be allocated to landlords in one of two forms, or in a combination of both. Regardless, landlords are only eligible for up to $10,000 in the form of a straight grant (no personal cash match or payback is necessary). Landlords may apply for up to $2,500 in direct assistance to recoup lost funding as a result of the economic impacts of COVID-19. Otherwise, landlords may apply for up to $10,000 for minor rental unit rehabilitation. If both forms of aid are needed, it is possible to apply for up to $2,500 in direct assistance and request additional funding for minor unit repairs, not to exceed $10,000 total.
Funding is available on a per-landlord basis, not per-unit. For example, landlords cannot apply for multiple $10,000 grants to address several units; only one rental unit per landlord can be assisted with this program. A unit is defined as a rental property that is tied to one address.
You can get a copy of the application or more information here.