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State will manage rental assistance in Elkhart County beginning Oct. 1

(Screenshot of IndianaHousingNow.org)

Starting next month, Elkhart County residents who need rental assistance will have to apply through the state, rather than the county. 

 

The county has managed its own program since March, but county commissioners announced Monday they would be closing out the local rental assistance program. 

 

Board of Commissioners President Suzie Weirick said that doesn’t mean rental assistance won’t be available.

 

“The services will not be gone for residents,” Weirick said at the commissioners’ meeting Monday. “It’s just a different application –– instead of directly to us, they can go through the state.”

 

The state manages emergency rental assistance for most Hoosier counties –– only St. Joseph, Lake, Hamilton and Marion counties now manage their own. The city of Fort Wayne also has its own assistance program.

 

Rental assistance funds were administered first through the federal CARES Act, then the American Rescue Plan. The board of commissioners recently approved a data-sharing agreement that allows the state to manage those funds and administer assistance to county residents.

 

Sept. 30 is the last day for Elkhart County renters to apply through the local assistance program. Beginning Oct. 1, the state will begin accepting applications from Elkhart County residents.

Contact Gemma atgdicarlo@wvpe.orgor follow her on Twitter at@gemma_dicarlo.

 

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Gemma DiCarlo came to Indiana by way of Athens, Georgia. She graduated from the University of Georgia in 2020 with a degree in Journalism and certificates in New Media and Sustainability. She has radio experience from her time as associate producer of Athens News Matters, the flagship public affairs program at WUGA-FM.