Lorain County JFS seeing many requests for rental, housing assistance, director tells commissioners

ELYRIA — More than 100 families already have reached out to Lorain County officials to seek some of the more than $11.25 million in federal funding for emergency rental assistance relief, Lorain County Job & Family Services Director Tim Carrion told county commissioners Wednesday. The county last week received nearly $9.25 million through the federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program to help those unable to pay rent and utilities during the pandemic. An additional $2 million in funding will be funneled through the Community Action Agency for similar assistance. At least 90 percent of the funds must be used for direct financial assistance including rent, utilities and home energy costs. Ten percent is set aside for administrative costs, including allowing county officials to set up programs to disburse the money, it was learned Wednesday. Carrion said his agency is collecting information and hopes by mid-February to start sending checks to landlords whose renters are behind on their monthly obligations. Requirements to apply for the emergency rental assistance, or ERA, include: • A photo ID.• Social Security cards for all household members.• Income verification for the past 60 days for household members age 18 or older.• The landlord's name, address and phone number, a signed lease and an IRS W-9 tax form for the landlord. Families of four making a total of $60,800 or less may still qualify for assistance, Carrion said. For more information, residents may send an email to rentalassistance@jfs.ohio.gov or call (440) 284-4423. Calls will be returned starting Monday, Feb. 8. Updates will be posted at www.LCJFS.com and on the JFS Facebook page. Customized software will help JFS process applications more efficiently, Carrion said. Most rental assistance checks will be made out directly to landlords, he said, and JFS is working closely with the Community Action Agency because that group has experience with rental and housing assistance programs. There are guidelines and measures in place to prevent fraud, Carrion told the commissioners, "so if the same family comes up on our software (twice) we can prevent fraudulent activity," he said. Commissioner Matt Lundy said he wanted there to be an understanding in the process that landlords would not accept the money then just end up "kicking people out" once their rent was made whole. JFS also is working on a Prevention, Retention and Contingency program, or PRC, for mortgage assistance payments to homeowners in need using federal funds, Carrion said. Commissioner David Moore said the last three to four months have been "a real struggle with everybody" and "that's bad." He said the program funds need to go out by September and he hoped they would go out earlier: "It'd be great if we could get these funds out before June," Moore said. Carrion said by going through applications for the emergency rental assistance, county officials may identify residents who also qualify through the PRC program for vehicle repair funds, shelter expenses, utility assistance and employment-related expenses, among other programs run through JFS. "As long as a need falls within the guidelines, we can fund anything," he said. Carrion also spoke about his agency's COVID-19 response, in regards to concerns brought up by the union representing JFS workers that there have been an increased number of positive cases of COVID-19 in the agency's North Ridge Road building since workers returned to staggered, in-person shifts on Jan. 11 at the order of county commissioners. "We've been doing everything possible to keep our team as healthy and safe as possible," Carrion said, as a transition to help more than 200 employees return to work in the 87,000-square-foot building. Strategies recommended by Lorain County Public Health to JFS for its workers include daily self-monitoring for COVID-19 symptoms, wearing masks, disinfecting public areas, providing sanitary supplies and having maintenance staff on a "strict schedule to disinfect common areas," Carrion said. Work surfaces, printers and copiers are disinfected every two hours, and any employees who show symptoms of the disease are asked to leave work and quarantine until they have a negative test or have been cleared by their doctor, he said. An in-house investigation will be done if any employee experiences symptoms or tests positive in order to determine who else might have been exposed to the coronavirus, Carrion said, and Lorain County Public Health will be notified. Lundy said he believed that the county health department should be contacted "anytime we have a workplace case" as there are many people in and out of the JFS building on a daily basis. "It is important that all the commissioners get an update from you" as well, he told Carrion. "I was not aware we had more than half a dozen cases over there until I was made aware through an email" sent by union representatives to the board of commissioners. "It's important I get regular updates from the county administrator and you. I still contend we should be working remotely for the safety of our workers. They were doing a good job working remotely." Commissioner Michelle Hung said the current staggered in-person schedule — employees work Monday, Wednesday and Friday in-person one week, then alternate to Tuesday and Thursday the following week — is working well. Carrion elaborated on the matter, saying rather than have more than 200 employees in the building at a time, they are divided into "A" and "B" teams working the alternating weekly schedules in the building. "That allowed us to ramp up and instill policies to keep things in order," he said. The original plan to return to a full-time schedule as of Monday, Feb. 8, was scrapped for at least another month after Carrion and County Administrator Tom Williams discussed it, the JFS director said. Williams said county workers with valid medical excuses or at high risk are still allowed to work from home full time. He said the JFS building "was not and is not a hot spot" for COVID-19, and that under Carrion's leadership, JFS "is doing more than most businesses in the county." Moore said he didn't understand why JFS workers can't go back to work full time, in person, when some Lorain County schools like those in Avon Lake "have been full boat since September." Retailers such as Speedway, Walmart and Giant Eagle, "they had no plastic for six months," he said, knocking his hand on a plastic divider separating himself from others at the board meeting. Those retailers have been requiring masking "about the same amount of time," he said. "It's time to get back to work. Sorry. That's it. See ya," Moore said. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com. Follow him at @daveobrienCT on Twitter.