The Kansas Emergency Rental Assistance (KERA) program was launched on March 15.
A new program providing rent, utility, and internet-access assistance to households experiencing financial hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic is now accepting applications at https://kera.kshousingcorp.org/kera#/.
The assistance covers up to 12 months of rent and rental arrears (money past due), up to three months of prospective rent at a time, even if the household does not have rental arrears, and past due residential utility and home energy (electric, gas, water, sewer and trash services), and internet costs.
The KERA program is funded through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021, which provided the state of Kansas nearly $200 million in rental assistance funding. The Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC) will serve as the administrator of the majority of these funds through the KERA program.
Those eligible to apply include tenants who rent their home, tenants whose 2020 household income did not exceed 80 percent of the area’s median income, households where at least one member is experiencing documented financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, or at least one member of the household is uncertain of where they will stay or may become homeless without housing assistance.
To apply for the program, both the tenant and their landlord must apply online via a joint application process. The landlord completes online certification and the tenant submits the online application. The landlord and tenant are then notified when the application is processed. If approved, the landlord or service provider receive funds directly from the Kansas Housing Resources Corp. (KHRC). The landlord or service provider than applies assistance to the tenant’s account.
To learn more about the Kansas Emergency Rental Assistance Program, the qualification and application process, visit the KHRC website at https://kshousingcorp.org/emergency-rental-assistance/.
The BPU will be lifting the disconnect moratorium on March 31, and will resume its normal disconnect process and business operations on April 1, according to a BPU spokesman.
Customers are encouraged to stay current with their bills to avoid getting too far behind, the spokesman stated. If there are any BPU billing or customer service questions, call 913-573-9190 and a utility representative is available to assist.