180 households paid so far
On July 23, the Sarasota County Emergency Rental Assistance Program reached a landmark: It had disbursed $1 million to community members suffering financial impacts as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, county Emergency Services Department staff reported.
As of 8 a.m. on Thursday, July 29, 180 households had been paid a total of $1,095,284, a news release said. Altogether, the release added, 691 applications had been submitted to the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP).
The ERAP call center had answered 4,185 calls since the applications period began on May 5, the release noted.
The ERAP team recently added extra review staff to assist with the multiple-step process, the release pointed out. Among its goals, the process works to detect and eliminate possible fraudulent or suspicious applications before those reach the final funding steps, the release explained.
More information on ERAP — including eligibility requirements, a list of documents that must be submitted, frequently asked questions, and information about program ambassadors — may be found at scgov.net/rent or by calling 941-861-RENT (7368).