SUMMIT COUNTY, OHIO—Summit County and United Way of Summit and Medina have approved 2,915 individuals and families financially affected by COVID-19 for rent, mortgage and utility assistance. In response to significant community need, County Executive Ilene Shapiro and County Council passed legislation in June authorizing $7.5 million in federal CARES Act, TANF and Title XX funds for Summit County CARES, a rent, mortgage and utility assistance program.
On September 21, County Executive Shapiro will introduce legislation to County Council for additional CARES Act funding for a second round of rent, mortgage and utility assistance. If passed, the County will provide an additional $5 million for rent and mortgage payments and $1 million for utility payments. Applications for the second round will be accepted 8:00 a.m. September 21 through 4:00 p.m. September 28. Summit County residents can apply at http://summitcountycares.org or by calling 2-1-1.
Over 3,000 applications were submitted for the first round of the program. 93.5% of applications were approved; the remainder were denied or withdrawn. 76% of applications were for rental assistance and 20% had received an eviction notice. The average applicant requested 2.65 months of rent or mortgage assistance. The average rent and mortgage need was $1,920 and $3,024. Nearly 80% of the applications came from City of Akron residents.
“When we launched this program we knew there was a need for rent and mortgage assistance, and the response was overwhelming. The program numbers now show that many Summit County residents are still struggling to make ends meet,” said County Executive Shapiro. “We have used our CARES Act funding to help keep our residents housed, employed and healthy, and we will continue to fund programs that support basic needs.”
As of September 14, nearly $2 million in rent and mortgage payments has been distributed. Summit County, United Way, The Battered Women’s Shelter, Mustard Seed Development Center, Fair Housing Contact Service, Inc., Community Legal Aid Services Inc., and other community partners continue to work with landlords and banks to distribute the remaining funds. Partners are also working to assist applicants with utility payments. To date, $739,000 has been paid for gas, electric, water, sewer and trash bills. To further assist with utility bills, Summit County intends to send another $1 million to Community Action Akron Summit for a utility only assistance program.
Since receiving federal CARES Act funding in March, Summit County has used those dollars to create or support the following programs:
- COVID-19 Small Business Emergency Relief Grants: $7.8 million
- Minority Contractor Capital Access Program: $1 million
- COVID-19 Community Mass Testing: $1.4 million
- Summit County CARES Rent and Mortgage Assistance: $11.5 million
- Summit County CARES Utility Assistance: $2 million
- Criminal Justice Integrated Technology Project: $6.5 million
- Payroll Support Program for local municipalities: $17.8 million
“The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need in our community for local government to be the stopgap for so many individuals and entities who are struggling. I’m incredibly proud of and grateful for the amazing community partners who have stepped up to partner with us to provide for our businesses and individuals in Summit County,” said County Executive Shapiro.
