Neighbors,
Before I give an update on a new program to help Connecticut residents with rent and utility payments, I want to share about an informative discussion on Facebook Live I recently held to assist minority-owned businesses. Businesses owned by Black Americans and Latinos/as have been particularly hit hard by the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is imperative we assist minority-owned businesses in helping to connect them with available resources such as the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
To watch the discussion on the PPP, I held with several panelists including representatives from the U.S. Small Business Administration and The Black Business Alliance, please visit my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SenMcCrory or @SenMcCrory on Facebook.
Reminder: as of mid-March, the current deadline to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program is March 31, 2021.
The U.S. Small Business Administration is available to assist entrepreneurs and small businesses. Call 860-240-4700 during hours of operation of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from Monday through Friday to reach the Connecticut District Office. To contact The Black Business Alliance, visit bbusinessalliance.org/.
UniteCT: Rent and Utility Relief Program
UniteCT is a new program through the Department of Housing (DOH) provide rent and utility payment assistance to Connecticut households financially impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The program is available to help households up to 80 percent of the HUD Area Median Income (AMI). Also, households in the state are eligible for the additional circumstances: qualified for unemployment or have experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, experienced a financial hardship due to COVID-19, or demonstrates a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability.
Eligible households can apply through an online portal that is accessible on a mobile device or computer. The application includes sections for the tenant(s) and landlord(s) to complete. In addition, it allows the applicant and landlord to follow the progress of the application and submission status.
Summary of Available Assistance: Accepted households can receive up to $10,000 in rental assistance, with UniteCT offering to pay 85 percent of overdue rent in the six months prior to the application and landlords writing off 15 percent of those six months of arrears. UniteCT will additionally pay three months of upcoming rent; after then, a renter would need to recertify for another three months. Applicants will be asked to pay between 0 and 30 percent of impending rent payments depending on their income compared to AMI. Lastly, there is $1,500 cap for utility assistance per payer, with funds to be committed by September 2021 and disbursed by December 2021.
To learn more about the program, please visit the DOH website. If you have questions applying, call 1-844-UniteCT (1-844-864-8328) or email DOH-UniteCT@ct.gov. Additionally, DOH has partnered with several Hartford-area organizations to help provide support in applying.
• Community Renewal Team – Phone: 860-560-5501
• Urban League of Greater Hartford – Phone: 203-527-0147
• Mutual Housing Association of Greater Hartford – Phone: 860-206-5270
Beware and Avoid Stimulus Check Scams
As families receive their stimulus checks provided by the American Rescue Plan, the Better Business Bureau is warning people to be aware of potential scams. A reminder: you do not need to pay fees to get this stimulus check or provide personal information. Also, here are a few tips on how you can recognize scams and avoid identity theft.
• Be calm if someone claiming to be a government official contacts you. It’s important not to act immediately. These scammers are hoping you’ll act before you fact check
• Don’t give your personal information to any sources you don’t trust
• Check the URL if you’re suspicious of a link. Be sure it ends in .gov if it claims to be a message from the government
• Don’t respond to unknown calls, emails or texts. If you receive a call from the government, look up the office’s official phone number and use that to return the call
• Confirm the agency you’re being contacted by actually exists. Scammers can make up names of agencies that sound real, but aren’t. You can verify the agency by doing a web search to find more information about it
Stay safe and take care,
State Senator Doug McCrory
