South Charlotte Today

City of Charlotte issued the following announcement on July 27.

Throughout the pandemic, the City of Charlotte has provided emergency mortgage, rental and utility assistance to people facing COVID-19 hardships through the RAMP CLT program. RAMP CLT is administered by DreamKey Partners on the city’s behalf. As of July 27, the program has provided $16,209,195.01 to 5,160 families in 2021. Throughout the pandemic, the city has provided $33.7M in rent, mortgage and utility assistance to support 11,428 families.

The U.S. Treasury released a compliance report last week on how the emergency funds have been distributed across the nation. On average, the national distribution rate is 20%. The City of Charlotte has distributed 52.5%.

What is the City of Charlotte doing for those that are at risk of eviction?

People who need help with rent, mortgage or utilities due to a COVID-19 hardship are encouraged to apply for assistance through the city’s emergency housing assistance program, RAMP CLT.

• As of Aug. 1, all RAMP CLT applicants who have an eviction court date scheduled within 90 days of their application will be placed in the Priority 1 category, which is the highest priority.
• DreamKey Partners has increased staff in order to accommodate the increased volume of application activity.
• To assist as many households facing eviction as possible, the maximum amount of assistance available will cover any arrears and up to three months’ rent forward.

What resources are available for someone facing eviction?

• The City’s Dispute Settlement Program offers free mediation services with a trained, neutral, third-party mediator who will work with landlords and tenants to reach an agreement. This provides an opportunity to express concerns, interests and needs in a confidential setting, and an avenue for paying restitution for damages, losses or rent. Call the landlord-tenant line at 704.336.5330 or Dispute Settlement Program website for more information.
• Legal Aid of North Carolina has additional information and resources regarding the eviction moratorium.
• Additional rental assistance information is available on the city’s emergency housing assistance program, RAMP CLT.
• Crisis Assistance Ministry will also use its housing navigators to communicate what community rental assistance is available.

Original source can be found here.