State Details Additional COVID Assistance Funding
Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe state of Indiana has announced additional COVID-related federal funding for two programs: housing rental assistance and cultural programs impacted by the state shutdown at the height of the pandemic.
Since the launch of the state’s COVID-19 rental assistance program on July 13, more than 24,000 Hoosiers have filed applications. Due to that response, Governor Eric Holcomb announced Wednesday an additional $15 million will be added to the current pool of $25 million.
“When we opened up the portal on July 13, clearly there was a huge volume of applications that we received, actually just over 8,000 applications. But since that day, there has been a steady decline in the number of applications. And today we’re hovering around 400 applications per day,” said Jacob Sipe, executive director of the Indiana Community Housing and Development Authority.
The rental assistance is for residents who live outside of Marion county, which offers its own program to renters struggling to make the monthly payment.
Of the 91 eligible counties, a vast majority, 45% of the requests, is coming from five counties: Lake (18%), St. Joseph (10%), Allen (8%), Tippecanoe (4%), and Vanderburgh (4%).
Meanwhile, the newly formed Indiana Destination Development Corp. has created a $10 million fund to help arts and cultural organizations which have suffered financial losses during the healthcare crisis.
IDDC says the money is intended to help preserve events and festivals that may have been canceled or postponed.
“Our arts, culture and local traditions all make considerable and necessary contributions to the well-being of our communities,” said Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch, who oversees the IDDC. “We developed this program to assist and preserve the many Hoosier hospitality destinations, organizations, communities, and individuals that help enhance the quality of life that we enjoy in this state.”
The application process opens August 10.