Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has earmarked more than $33 million in state and federal funding to assist renters, homeowners and landlords affected by the COVID-19 health emergency.
Seila Mosquera-Bruno, the state housing commissioner, says $10 million of the money will be used to pay landlords on behalf of low-income tenants who’ve been denied unemployment insurance.
“And it will be working together with the landlord to make sure that those families and individuals are not going to be evicted.”
Governor Lamont’s plan also has $5 million to help renters who were already in the eviction process before the COVID-19 pandemic. And $10 million for mortgage relief for homeowners.
“So that if a person loses their job, or they were sick or taking care of a member of the family and they are behind in their mortgages, there’s a way to make sure they are not in foreclosure,” Mosquera-Bruno said.
There is also $4 million to help the homeless find housing and $1.8 million to assist people recently released from prison find housing.
The governor also extended the state’s moratorium on evictions until August 25.
But Elizabeth Rosenthal, a housing rights advocate with New Haven Legal Assistance, is concerned that the money is not enough, and that only $2.5 million is set aside to assist undocumented renters.
“They get coronavirus at higher rates. And also they don’t have access to the benefits that citizens have. So they are some of the most vulnerable at this time.”
