As of August 1, Athens renters can apply for rent assistance again as a part of the recently relaunched Eviction Protection Program.
In May, Athens Clarke-County commissioners voted 9-1 to give the Eviction Protection Program a second chance after the first iteration was suspended last fall.
The nonprofit that ran the initial program only provided rent assistance to those that have already received an eviction notice. Family Promise is now taking over that service. In addition, they are also joining another nonprofit, The Ark, to take a more prevention-based approach by assisting families who have fallen behind on rent payments before they receive an eviction notice.
“Primarily, it keeps households in their homes. It also gives families and individuals the chance to take a breath and to reassess where they are and figure out how to get back on track,” Family Promise’s Executive Director, Madison Sanders, said.
Her organization received 75 requests the day applications opened. In part, she attributes this demand to a larger rent issue in Athens.
“Households come to us with a pretty intense rent increase in their next lease, so anything from $300 to $600 increases,” Sanders said.
One of the criteria to receive the funding is having been financially impacted by the pandemic, as the program is funded by the American Rescue Plan (ARPA), which provided a limited set of federal pandemic relief funds.
The nonprofits’ websites list more criteria for assistance and provide links to their applications at familypromiseathens.org and athensark.org.
