Program Overview
Grays Harbor County Public Health is administering an Eviction Assistance Rent Program (ERAP) 2.0. This emergency funding is to prevent eviction for households who the COVID pandemic has financially impacted. Low-income households living in qualified region can receive funds to cover past due, current, and future rent and utility bills. Grays Harbor County Public Health has partnered with the Equity Institute to help residents apply for ERAP funding.
NEED SUPPORT?
Please direct all support questions to the Equity Institute at (855) 283-2241 or email them here.
Eligibility Requirements
Households must meet all three of the initial screening criteria to be eligible for rental assistance:
Have a missed/past due rent payment not paid or partially unpaid since March 1, 2020, and still occupying the residence.
Your household income is at or below 80% of the Area Median Income – Click here for an Area Median Income calculator.
Your household resides within Grays Harbor County – Click Here for a map of Grays Harbor County neighborhoods.
Potential Documents
The following documents may be used to verify the above eligibility:
Including pay stubs, W-2s or other wage statements, 2021, 2022, and/or 2023 tax filings, or bank statements demonstrating regular income.
Proof of a current lease, or documentation of residence showing evidence that establishes a pattern of paying rent.
Proof of past due rent or utility notice, or eviction notice.
You can store documents in your profile so that you can easily find them to include in your applications. These file formats are supported: .doc, .docx, .gif, .jpeg, .jpg, .pdf, .png, .xls, and .xlsx
Frequently Asked Questions
FORWARD has extensive experience administering rental assistance programs across the nation and can process applications at scale, prevent fraud, securely process payments, and provide reporting that meets Treasury requirements.
After submitting your application, it will move through the following five steps:
- Application Review
- Tenant Outreach – someone will contact you if more information is needed.
- Eligibility Determination – if you meet the eligibility criteria, your application moves to the next step. If not, you will receive a written denial which you can appeal.
- Landlord Outreach
- Payment Processing
If you would like to check on the status of your application, please login to your FORWARD account and click the “My Applications” tab to see your status.
- One or more individuals within the household are obligated to pay rent or have past due rent on a residence located in Grays Harbor County.
- Total household income is equals or less than eighty percent (80%) of the area median income (AMI).
- Currently have a missed/past due rent payment not paid or partially unpaid since March 1, 2020, and still occupying the residence.
You meet the income eligibility requirements if your total household income is equal to or less than 80% of the area median income (AMI). Your AMI depends on how many people live in your household; see the table here.
- No. United States citizenship is NOT an eligibility requirement of this program.
- You must be 18 Years or older to apply. Or you are legally emancipated if under 18 years of age.
Households with missed or partially paid rent can receive rent and/or utility assistance from March 1, 2020.
No. According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Eviction Rent Assistance is to help eligible households that require financial assistance to pay for rent, utilities, and other related expenses. Rental and utility payments ONLY count as gross income for your landlord or utility provider.
ERAP 2 payments will be made directly to landlords and service providers. The information provided in your application will be used to contact your landlord or utility provider(s). You will receive documentation of all payments made to your landlord or utility provider(s) on your behalf.
- They can include electricity, gas, water/sewer, trash removal, energy costs, such as fuel, oil, or wood for heating. The Internet is considered an utility for this program.
- Phone and TV bills are NOT included in the program.
ERAP 2.0 does not allow for “other housing costs”; however, it does consider the following unique situations eligible as a RA expense: Rental situations may include leased rental units, renting from friend/family, hotel/motel arrangements, mooring/slip fees, and RV/mobile home lot rent. There is no minimum term for the tenancy.
Yes, we can assist with maximum rent payment amount up to 150% Fair Market Rent (FMR) and must not be more than the total rent due amount.
Yes. Households that receive a monthly federal subsidy are eligible to apply for assistance. However, assistance will only be provided for the amount not covered by other programs.
Program Partners
Grays Harbor County Public Health and FORWARD are partnering with the following local community organization to help you apply to the ERAP 2.0 program. Connect with our partner below to receive assistance:
Equity Institute/Tu Hogar
(855) 283-2241
admin@equityinstitute.email
PO Box 13501
Olympia, WA
FORWARD is administering the ERAP 2.0 on behalf of Grays Harbor County Public Health.
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