As of December 2, 2020, the federal eviction moratorium has been extended to the end of January 2021. This is good news for those who possess federally owned mortgages. Congress has approved additional aid for renters with the extension of the moratorium, but the details are unclear and the aid is not guaranteed to all renters. 

Renters must meet certain qualifications in order to receive rent relief assistance. The relief funds are to be distributed to state and local governments who will then disburse the funds to renters in need. Meanwhile, the extension of the eviction moratorium will protect renters from eviction. Despite this protection from eviction, renters are not protected from late fees and charges due to failure to make payments. As the situation evolves more relief may become available. Those who are relying on the moratorium and rent relief to avoid becoming homeless should remain up to date on current events in order to maintain their housing. 

If you or someone you know is at risk of or experiencing homelessness in Iowa, please call 833-739-0065 for assistance.

The Federal CARES Act that passed earlier this year included HUD funding in the form of special COVID-19 Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG-CV) to address the increased need caused by COVID-19. HUD tasked the Iowa Finance Authority with distributing these funds to various homelessness agencies in Iowa for emergency shelter expenses, homelessness prevention, and rapid re-housing, and Home Forward Iowa played a significant role in planning this distribution of funds.

With the recent development of Coordinated Service Regions across Iowa, the disparities in resources among Iowa’s communities had become obvious. Having recognized the challenges created by these disparities, HFI had already been developing plans advocating for the allocation of ESG funds on a regional basis. The CARES Act funds came at the perfect time to push for the assignment of at least some of the new funds to each region. HFI advocated for such a plan while the Institute for Community Alliances developed a regional formula based on population and socio-economic factors. As part of this effort, HFI also contacted homeless service providers in almost all regions to explain this proposed plan of action. This allowed the regions to respond quickly with applications that demonstrated thoughtful planning once IFA approved the plan. After the funds were allocated, HFI continued to play a role by providing technical assistance to grantees.

Thanks to this process and HFI’s role, those experiencing homelessness in every community in Iowa now have access to federal support for rental assistance and homelessness prevention for the first time.

IFA recently released a report showing how these funds were used through September 30. During this time period, these funds did a lot of good for Iowans who were experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness.

A total of $495,414 of ESG-CV funds were used to:

• Serve 4,926 Iowans, including 1,414 children
• Help 764 households who were living in places not meant for habitation
• Serve 146 households with Homelessness Prevention
• Move 11 households into housing
• Ensure 92 households maintained housing

We look forward to the next report to demonstrate how the funds have been used in the most recent months to help Iowans.