Charleston County’s Community Development Department (CDD) is planning to stop accepting new applications for the county’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) starting Oct. 8, as the program runs close to the end of its funding.
The Charleston County ERAP was awarded $12.4 million from the U.S. Treasury as a part of a large national effort to stabilize housing during the pandemic.
There are currently more than 10,900 applications pending in the system, according to a press release from the county’s Public Information Office. Since the start of the program April 12, the county has provided $11.6 million in rental and utility aid to over 1,600 households and helped over 450 landlords.
Roughly 739,067 rental households in S.C. are behind on rent or report low confidence in ability to pay rent, with 107,652 households reporting no confidence at all as of Sept. 17, according to U.S. Census Pulse data. Of renters behind on payments, 152,612 reported they would likely be evicted within the next two months.
If there is still funding available after processing applications, the CDD will re-open applications.
The department will continue to process new applications submitted through Oct. 7 and follow up with applicants still missing information.
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