Lane County will select applications from households eligible for rent assistance via lottery, for expenses that residents began acquiring on March 1. Rent assistance applications will be available from July 15 at 9 a.m. until 11:59 p.m. on July 22, according to Lane County’s website. 

A total of $5.1 million is available due to funding from the federal COVID-19 CARES Act, a $2 trillion economic stimulus bill created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Applicants must be residing in Lane County and have an active rental agreement or lease in their name in order to be eligible. If the applicant is currently homeless, there must be a lease in place for a new housing unit or an agreement from the landlord that the lease will be signed when a deposit or first month’s rent is paid. 

Applicants must also show proof of a loss of income as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic or have compromised health where a loss of housing would put the applicant at a health risk due to the coronavirus.

Applicants’ household income must be at or below 80% of the Lane County Area Median Income Level. Income includes the current gross income of the primary applicant and all adult household members during the time of the eligibility assessment. Any income earned by minors or full-time students who are not the head of the household is excluded.

The COVID-19 unemployment bonus of $600 per week is not included as part of the gross income.

Eligible expenses covered by rent assistance include:

• Housing and move-in costs

• Manufactured home rental space, or “lot rents”

• Utility payments and arrearages, or money not paid when due

• Moving costs, security and utility deposits and application fees

• Housing relocation assistance

The rent assistance application can be found online or by calling Lane County’s non-emergency COVID-19 call center.