The deadline to apply for rent and mortgage relief due to a loss of income because of COVID-19 is approaching for residents of Kenai, Soldotna, and borough residents who do not live in city limits.
The programs, which are nearly identical across all three jurisdictions, provide up to $1,200 each month for September, October, November and December of 2020. Though residency requirements differ across jurisdictions, household income at the time of application must be equal to or less than $71,760 for all three programs. Additionally, residents will be asked to complete a questionnaire and to certify that their loss of income was due to COVID-19 when applying for any of the three programs.
The deadline for the Soldotna and borough-wide programs is Monday, Nov. 30 at 5 p.m. Kenai Peninsula Borough Community and Fiscal Projects Manager Brenda Ahlberg said Thursday that 707 applications have been submitted to the borough’s program. Assistant to the City Manager of Soldotna Laura Rhyner said Thursday that Soldotna has received approximately 230 applications for the program, in addition to about 45 Soldotna residents who were automatically rolled over from the statewide housing relief program administered over the summer.
According to Kenai City Project Lead Larry Persily, the City of Kenai has received 387 applications for their program and has not yet made a decision about when their application deadline will be. They want to give people as much time as possible to apply, Persily said, without running out of time before the deadline to spend CARES Act money, which is Dec. 30.
The borough application can be accessed at https://www.kpbhousingrelief.org/.
The City of Kenai’s application can be accessed at https://www.kenaihousingrelief.org/.
The City of Soldotna’s application can be accessed at https://www.soldotnahousingrelief.org/.
Reach reporter Ashlyn O’Hara at ashlyn.ohara@peninsulaclarion.com.
