Applications open for Grays Harbor County Eviction Rent Assistance Program

Local residents looking for eviction rent assistance have funding available.

Officials confirmed to KXRO that FORWARD has partnered with Grays Harbor County Public Health and the Equity Institute to launch an Eviction Assistance Rent Program (ERAP) 2.0 to accept additional applications from households facing potential eviction. 

This emergency funding will support households that are unable to cover past due, current, and future rent and utility bills because of the ongoing financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Approximately $291,000 in grant money will be made available to awardees thanks to an allocation made by the state legislature. 

“The long-term financial effects of the pandemic are preventing our residents from fully recovering and many of these households are having difficulty paying for essential expenses,” said Natali Burgess, Housing Program Coordinator at Grays Harbor County Public Health. “Supporting them through these ongoing financial challenges via this emergency grant funding allows them to have a stable foundation as they continue to recover.” 

Grays Harbor residents are encouraged to apply through the Equity Institute at https://forwardplatform.com/grays-harbor-county-public-health-eviction-rent-assistance-program/

They can also email the Equity Institute at [email protected] or call (855) 283-2241. They can also call FORWARD directly at (855) 582-3973, option 2. 

To be eligible for the grant funding, households must have a missed or past due rent payment not paid or partially unpaid since March 1, 2020, and still be occupying the same residence. 

Qualifying households must also meet income requirements of at or below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) and be located within the parameters of Grays Harbor. 

The Grays Harbor County Public Health Department approved FORWARD as the program administration contractor to assist with community outreach, application support, screening for eligibility and distribution of funds in a way that uses taxpayer dollars efficiently. Applicants and qualifying households can expect the following:

  • Multilingual application assistance via phone, text and email
  • To create a secure FORWARD account login
  • To show proof of a current lease, or documentation of residence showing evidence that establishes a pattern of paying rent
  • To include details of a past due rent or utility notice, or eviction notice

 “This partnership between FORWARD and the Grays Harbor County Public Health Department will certify that funding is dispersed quickly and equitably to residents with the utmost need through the use of FORWARD’s integrated program administration technology,” said Adnan Mahmud, CEO of FORWARD Platform. “FORWARD and the Grays Harbor County Public Health Department are aware of the ways that the long-term effects of the pandemic have exacerbated the existing housing crisis and are proud to come together to help households that have been detrimentally impacted.”