The Paso del Norte Community Foundation/Under One Roof Fund is proud to facilitate the disbursement of millions of dollars in Federal CARES Act funding, provided through the City of El Paso, for rental assistance to the El Paso community.  Over $3.5 million has already been committed to individuals and families that have fallen behind on their rent.  This rental assistance is available to applicants regardless of income but prioritizing families who are at or below 80% the area median income. 

Rental assistance is still available and easier than ever for landlords and tenants impacted by COVID-19 to get help through the EPRentHelp.org program. PdNCF/Under One Roof encourages tenants not to get complacent just because of the recently enacted prohibition on some evictions.

In collaboration with the City of El Paso, the following changes have been made to the rental assistance program, effective immediately, aimed at making it even easier for those in need to access the rental assistance funds:

• Use of self-attestation for situations in which applicants have tried to provide documentation to demonstrate eligibility
• Elimination of the rental assistance cap per recipient for past due rent since April 1st
• Elimination of the 80% Area Median Income (AMI) requirement, although funding will be prioritized based on need
• Removal of the 10% discount requirement for participating landlords

Tenants must still demonstrate they are unable to pay their rent because of financial hardships brought on by COVID-19. This program is only open to those living within the City of El Paso.

“We recognize that new, tighter restrictions on businesses mean more people could be out of work and have trouble paying their rent because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Tracy Yellen, CEO of the Paso del Norte Community Foundation. “If you are a tenant who has been impacted by the economic downturn caused by COVID-19, we encourage you to apply for this assistance immediately to help secure your and your family’s future; if you are a landlord, we encourage you to participate to help minimize the losses your business could incur as the pandemic continues.”

While a federal moratorium on evictions is currently in place, that could be lulling some people into a false sense of security. “Just because you may not be eligible for eviction now, it’s possible you could still be evicted when those protections expire at the end of the year if you still owe your landlord back rent payments,” Yellen said. “We encourage anyone who is eligible to apply for this rental assistance to avoid eviction in 2021.”

For more information, visit EPRentHelp.org, today to qualify before funds run out.

If you or someone you know could benefit from rental assistance, please visit www.eprenthelp.org for more information.