The state, thanks to federal money, is finally going to put a significant sum out to help people who’ve been unable to pay rent and utilities on account of job loss during the pandemic.
Applications will become available Monday for the rent relief program. About 49,000 households are expected to be eligible under income and lost job requirements. Landlords are also eligible to apply.
$173 million is to be distributed by the Department of Human Services. Benton, Washington and Pulaski counties are operating their own programs and they are already accepting applications.
UPDATE: A note for Little Rock renters and landlords. The Metropolitan Housing Alliance, which oversees federal rental programs in Little Rock, says it has 86 vouchers for Section 8 rent and, in some cases, utilities. It also has exhausted the waiting list for Section 8 rent applicants and is opening the process to more for the federal subsidy program.