DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) -- Sharon Turner's income was low, and she was struggling to pay her rent. She thought the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) -- pumping out billions of dollars nationally and tens of millions locally -- was designed exactly for her.
Alas, she was denied. But that's not what upsets her most. Her complaint?
Get daily news, weather, and breaking news alerts straight to your inbox! Sign up for the abc27 newsletters here
"I shouldn't have to figure out why my application sat around for three months somewhere, and no one had an inkling to tell me really what was going on," Turner said.
She says she called HELP Ministries (which processes applications for Dauphin County) and was told she didn't qualify because she's on social security disability income (SSD). She says that was last Friday, three months after she first filled out an application. Dauphin County recorded her application date as Nov. 15, according to a county spokesman, which is still more than two ago, longer than the 30 to 45 days the county website says the process should take.
The precise reason she was declined was a bit different, although the outcome was the same. The problem isn't if someone has SSD income per se, according to Brett Hambright, the county spokesman. But ERAP only pays someone whose income has declined (rather than someone whose income was merely low to begin with) or whose rent payments have risen. Even though Turner's income was low and she struggled with rent, her income and rent were stable relative to before.
Regardless, Turner says someone could have explained those basic parameters to her months ago.
As for the delayed response, "Dauphin County takes a holistic approach to all applicants; we want this program to offer more than money," Hambright wrote. "However, due to the tremendous need and demand – here and everywhere – application processing takes time."
Turner says at a hearing Wednesday, Magisterial Judge Kenneth Lenker gave her the extra time she requested to catch up, making her feel "very blessed."
"I trust in God," she said. "So the first thing, I prayed about it. And then I said 'Hey, I gotta follow through,' because I don't want anyone to be out here struggling going through these programs and not even realize the guidelines."
The upshot: Don't assume you'll receive ERAP just because you applied. If you're income didn't drop or your rent didn't rise, you likely won't. And if you haven't heard anything about the status of your application after more than the time you were told to wait, call the agency where you applied to check the status.
ERAP is closed for new applications, but counties are still processing previous applications.
0 Commentaires