Thomas Breen photo
State housing commissioner Seila Mosquea-Bruno at September 2020 City Hall presser.
Renters have a new lifeline: The state has officially opened a $235 million pandemic-era rental assistance program, whereby eligible tenants can receive up to $10,000 in rental aid and up to $1,500 to help cover utility payments.
Gov. Ned Lamont announced the formal start of the UniteCT program in a Monday afternoon email press release.
Using $235 million in federal support provided to Connecticut as part of last December’s Congressional Covid relief package, UniteCT is open to tenants earning up to 80 percent of the area median income (AMI)—which means $78,500 for a New Haven family of four.
Eligible tenants can apply for up to $10,000 in rental assistance and up to $1,500 in electric utility arrearage payment help.
Tenants and landlords can fill out applications and track the statuses of their applications online. Click here to apply.
Lamont also announced that his administration is providing $1 million of federal funding to Connecticut Legal Services to represent qualified households in housing court.
The press release stated that his administration is also setting aside an addition $4 million in state funds to support undocumented renters.
“UniteCT provides Connecticut tenants and landlords a much-needed fresh start and further assistance so our families can get back on their feet without worrying about the roof over their heads,” Lamont is quoted as saying in the press release.
“The creation of UniteCT represents a significant increase in financial assistance that will be provided to families and individuals that have been impacted by COVID-19,” added state Department of Housing Commissioner and longtime New Haven affordable housing nonprofit leader Seila Mosquera-Bruno.
The $10,000 rental assistance cap under UniteCT is more than double the $4,000 cap under the state’s previous pandemic-era rental assistance program, Temporary Rental Housing Assistance Program (TRHAP).
TRHAP closed in September after distributing roughly $26 million to approximately 4,100 landlords on behalf of 6,757 renter households, according to a state DOH spokesperson.
Last week, as part of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, Congress appropriated an additional $21.55 billion for rental and utility assistance and $10 billion for homeowner assistance.
This is going to benefit a great many people to prevent evictions from homes and rental property, provided the people have either a rental agreement or mortgage. The downside, if anyone is renting a room without a rental agreement, they can not only be evicted but cannot benefit from a rental assistance program.
Affordable housing is about more than just having housing that is income sensitive, it's about housing security, even for people displaced.
On the plus side, the money is going to help so many people in need since COVID has ravaged more than lives, it will provide stability to New Haven's already shaky economy.