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Rent relief applications open tomorrow

AHFC

Starting tomorrow, Alaskans can apply for another round of rental assistance. 

Alaska Housing Finance Corporation is helping renters who are struggling to pay rent during the pandemic with up to 12 months of their rent and utilities.

The Kenai Peninsula Borough and several peninsula cities offered similar versions of the program last year. Money for that round was routed through boroughs and municipalities and administered by AHFC.

This time around, the money is going through the state. The federal government set aside $200 million in CARES funds for Alaska’s program.

Another difference from the fall is this program is restricted to renters. That rules out homeowners, who made up nearly half of the Kenai Peninsula recipients last round.

“The new program has a number of restrictions that did not apply to the last one," said Daniel Delfino, director of planning and program development for AHFC. "So it’s a bit more complicated to navigate. And we’ve created an online eligibility checker to try and take some of the complicated things and move them into the background, so people can answer just a couple of basic questions on their iPhone with their thumb. I think it takes them maybe about three minutes.”

Applications for this round are due March 5. Even if you’ve received housing help from AHFC in the past, you can still apply to this program.

Last year’s version of the program saw high demand locally. The city of Kenai more than doubled the amount it appropriated for the program, to over $1 million to Kenai renters and homeowners.

Go to AlaskaHousingRelief.org to check your eligibility for the program.

Sabine Poux is a producer and reporter for the Brave Little State podcast of Vermont Public. She was formerly news director and evening news host at KDLL in Kenai.

Originally from New York, Sabine has lived and reported in Argentina and Vermont and Kenai.
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