Emergency rental, mortgage and utility assistance program ends in Mesa
Posted 3/4/23
Mesa’s emergency rental and utility assistance program, created in 2020 in response to COVID-19’s financial impact on city residents, has closed with all money spent
The program helped …
You must be a member to read this story.
Join our family of readers for as little as $5 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.
Current print subscribers can create a free account by clicking here
Otherwise, follow the link below to join.
To Our Valued Readers –
Visitors to our website will be limited to five stories per month unless they opt to subscribe. The five stories do not include our exclusive content written by our journalists.
For $6.99, less than 20 cents a day, digital subscribers will receive unlimited access to YourValley.net, including exclusive content from our newsroom and access to our Daily Independent e-edition.
Our commitment to balanced, fair reporting and local coverage provides insight and perspective not found anywhere else.
Your financial commitment will help to preserve the kind of honest journalism produced by our reporters and editors. We trust you agree that independent journalism is an essential component of our democracy. Please click here to subscribe.
Need to set up your free e-Newspaper all-access account? click here.
Non-subscribers
Click here to see your options for becoming a subscriber.
Register to comment
Click here create a free account for posting comments.
Note that free accounts do not include access to premium content on this site.
I am anchor
Housing
Emergency rental, mortgage and utility assistance program ends in Mesa
Posted
Mesa’s emergency rental and utility assistance program, created in 2020 in response to COVID-19’s financial impact on city residents, has closed with all money spent
The program helped more than 9,500 households prevent eviction and possible homelessness due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The final numbers include federal funds for mortgage assistance to avoid foreclosure.
“We are grateful for the direct federal funding to help both renters and landlords with rent and utility payments when they were financially impacted by the pandemic and for the mortgage assistance funding to help residents keep their homes,” Mary Brandon, Mesa community services deputy director, said in a release. “We also appreciate the many city and temporary employees who helped make the (emergency rental and utility assistance) program a huge success.”
Mesa began allocating federal funding in July 2020 to help low-income residents financially impacted by COVID. The city distributed more than $56 million in program funds through February 2023 for rent, utilities and mortgage.
City staff received numerous emails and letters of gratitude from residents who benefited from emergency rental and utility assistance program assistance, including:
“I literally started crying when I got your email. I was seriously at the end of my rope. Facing eviction and my 6 year old was admitted to hospital with RSV… I was having a slight panic attack and I read your email and completely lost it, the best Christmas gift ever,” said Amy.
“Thank you with all of my heart for the help….you made my day. Please know I will forever be grateful for the ERAP assistance,” said Elizabeth.
“I can’t thank you enough for this help, I am very grateful at the bottom of my heart and my children are very happy,” said Renee.
While ERAP has ended, the city of Mesa’s Public Housing Authority administers the Section 8 housing choice voucher program, emergency housing vouchers, security deposit assistance and other rental assistance programs. A New Leaf, Save the Family and Mesa United Way are among the local nonprofit organizations that can also provide assistance to prevent homelessness or eviction.
