Kansas Emergency Rental Assistance
Closing Soon
We at Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC) have been honored to work alongside you to provide rental, utility, and internet assistance to more than 74,845 Kansans through the Kansas Emergency Rental Assistance (KERA) program. Community Partner agencies statewide assisted over 1,700 tenants and landlords with completing applications, answering questions, providing computer and internet access, and facilitating communication between tenants and landlords.
Thanks in part to your support, more than $249.3 million in assistance--including more than $39 million in utility assistance--has been distributed to 29,753 Kansas households and counting. Together, we have prevented evictions, preserved access to vital services, and provided the stability of home for tens of thousands of Kansans.
KERA was established to provide temporary emergency rental and utility assistance for households at risk of housing instability due to pandemic-related financial hardship. Funded by federal pandemic relief funds, the program allows qualified applicants up to 18 months of assistance. Eighteen months after we launched KERA, we are approaching the end of the program and are looking ahead to next steps.
Depending on application volume, we anticipate program funds will be exhausted in the coming weeks. We have requested additional federal funds to keep the program open longer, but we don’t yet know if our request will be approved, nor when we will be notified of this decision. If we do not receive additional federal funds, the program is likely to end in November or December, based on current demand and remaining funds. If we receive additional federal funds the program could be extended to December or January, depending on need.
The closure process will follow three phases. Here’s what this means for Kansas renters in need of assistance:
1. Final Funding Phase: Applicants seeking KERA support should apply or reapply as soon as possible to be considered for final funding.
2. Hold Phase: Once the program receives enough applications to fully expend all KERA funds, approval of new applications and recertifications will be subject to availability of remaining funds. Applications and recertifications submitted during Hold Phase will be placed on hold and will not be reviewed or processed unless sufficient program funds are available. Pending applications submitted before Hold Phase will continue to be processed until the final application is paid.
3. Closure Phase: When all program funds are exhausted the program will close and will stop accepting new applications.
The KERA program is now in Final Funding Phase. The length and dates of each phase will be subject to a variety of factors, including application volume and amount of assistance requested. Each program closure phase will be announced on the KERA web page.
This information will be communicated to current applicants and the general public shortly. Review our KERA Closure FAQs for more information. Community partners and utility providers with questions or concerns about this process may contact our team at KERACommunityPartners@kshousingcorp.org.
We realize that the closing of the KERA program may bring stress and uncertainty for both our applicants and our partners and stakeholders. While we cannot alleviate every concern or assist every Kansan facing housing instability, we remain committed to our core values of transparency, compassion, and collaboration as we work together to bring the KERA program to a successful close
Original source can be found here.
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