A new federally funded Vermont Emergency Rental Assistance Program (VERAP) will provide aid to eligible residents of Vermont who cannot pay their rent due to the Covid-19 pandemic. VERAP will be administered by the state-authorized Vermont State Housing Authority (VSHA) with an online application provided by ReFrame Solutions, call center, and case management services from BPO American and a comprehensive outreach and marketing campaign by Fourteen G, all leading experts in their field.
VSHA Executive Director Richard Williams said, “We want to make sure that every eligible tenant and landlord have access to this vital assistance.”
VERAP will help with past-due rent going back to April 1, 2020, and future rent payments as well as relocation expenses, including rental application fees, and security deposits associated directly or indirectly with Covid-19 and future payments not to exceed 15 months. VERAP will also be able to assist with utility payments, which may be applied for separately or together.
The program will have income eligibility requirements and assistance will be available to tenant households where at least one person has qualified for unemployment benefits, had their income reduced, had significant costs, or had other financial hardship due to Covid-19. You do not need to be receiving unemployment benefits payments to get help from this program. VERAP is designed to help alleviate income pressure on tenants and landlords and restore stability to the rental market. The program is offered to residential tenants and landlords, not businesses or homeowners.