Trouble Making Rent? A New Grant in Winnebago County May Help

The last year has been a doozy that I'm sure none of us want to experience ever again. We struggled emotionally and financially, and it will take a while to recover from it. The pandemic caused massive job loss and unpaid bills that many Stateline residents are still trying to catch up on.

Winnebago County has received a federally-funded $8.3 million grant to help ease some of the financial restraints the pandemic has put on renters and landlords in the area. The sole purpose of this Emergency Rental Assistance Program is to help renters stay in their homes and for landlords to receive back rent payments.

So, who can apply for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program? Here's the qualifications listed on Winnebago County's website;

• If you rent or are a landlord in Winnebago County.
• If a member of your household qualified for unemployment or you have experienced a loss of household income since April of 2020.
• If you make less than 80% of the median household income. (A family of four's necessary median household income would be $55,700 or less and a one-person  household income would be $39,000 or less).
• If you are behind on utilities.

Applications for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program in Winnebago County need to completed and submitted by April 15, 2021, and you can fill out an application online or by phone at 815-972-RENT by choosing option 3.

One quick FYI, Winnebago County's website does say if there is any remaining grant money after the initial application process going on now, they will open a second application phase beginning May 1, 2021.