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At long last, the City of Atlanta is set to begin accepting new online applications for emergency housing assistance funds.
In December, the city closed its online application portal for the federally supported program that provides households financially encumbered by the COVID-19 pandemic with money for rent, utility bills and other housing-related costs. Officials said they were too bogged down by requests for assistance.
On April 15, though, that digital window, hosted by United Way of Greater Atlanta, will once again reopen — this time with a fresh $15.2 million from the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
Atlanta initially debuted its housing assistance program in August, equipped with $22 million in federal funds. The city disbursed $18 million of that — the other $4 million paid for administrative costs — which provided help for around 6,000 households, United Way spokesman Chad Parker told Atlanta Civic Circle.
This next batch of funding, Parker said, is expected “to be able to help more than 4,500 households.”
The typical applicant family, he added, receives about $3,000, “but currently, the Department of the Treasury has not put a cap on payments.”
Check United Way’s website next Thursday to find out if you’re eligible to apply for assistance. And be quick about it, as many governments have become burdened by the flood of applications and have been forced to close their application windows while they wade through the paperwork.
(Header image, via Kelly Jordan: Atlanta City Hall)