GLCAP offering funds for Fostoria and Seneca County residents experiencing difficulty making mortgage or rent payments

FREMONT – Households that have fallen behind on mortgage or rental payments due to COVID-19 hardships may be eligible for help through the Emergency Housing Assistance program administered by Great Lakes Community Action Partnership. The EHA program is grant-funded and can provide up to three consecutive months of rent or mortgage payments occurring on or after March 1 with no repayment required, according to a release from GLCAP. Assistance is now available in the City of Fostoria and Seneca County, the release states.Other areas where assistance is currently available are Erie County (excluding the City of Sandusky), Hancock County, Huron County, Lucas County (excluding the City of Toledo), Lorain County (excluding the cities of Elyria and Lorain) and Sandusky County, the release states.The EHA funds are being allocated from existing Community Housing Impact & Preservation grants that typically pay for home repairs in these communities, the release states. As Ohio's shutdown order has prevented home repairs from taking place in the past few months, communities are now shifting funds to help residents who have not been able to make mortgage or rental payments during the shutdown period, it states.GLCAP Housing & Energy Director Terry Jacobs is quoted in the release, saying "GLCAP and our partnering communities feel that at this moment, it is more prudent to use funds to help people who have suffered undue hardship because of the pandemic, and are in urgent need of help with their housing payments."Eligible households must be at or below 80% of area median income, which varies depending on the county of residence, according to the release. Households will need to complete an EHA application and provide documentation of income, past-due housing payments and proof of job loss, layoff or other hardships due to COVID-19, and households will be served on a first-come, first-served basis, the release states.Details are available at www.glcap.org/emergencyhousingassistance. Those who are interested may contact GLCAP Support Specialist Niki Holland at (419) 333-6101 or via email at ntholland@glcap.org.