The City of El Paso and County of El Paso have allocated $13.08 million in funding from the Federal Cares Act to the EP Rent Help program which is administered by the Paso del Norte Community Foundation.
The program provides rental assistance to landlords of residential rental properties for tenants that are experiencing economic hardship as a result of COVID-19 and live in El Paso County, including those who live in unincorporated areas of the county and those who live within the incorporated limits of El Paso, Horizon City, San Elizario, Socorro, Clint, Vinton, or Anthony, Texas.
Landlords may enroll in the program starting April 19th. Tenants may apply starting April 22nd. The rental assistance program will remain open until all rental assistance funding has been pledged. To avoid eviction, please do not delay in submitting your application.
To be eligible, tenants must earn at or below 80% of Area Median Income and be at risk of eviction because of a direct economic impact of COVID-19. Tenants can receive assistance to pay up to 12 months of past due rent and up to 3 months of future rent. The number of months of assistance provided will depend on eligibility and funding source.
Eligible landlords of residential rental properties may enroll to participate in the rental assistance program and tenants apply for rental assistance for past due and future rent. Landlords then verify the amount of rent the tenant owes.
Rental assistance will be prioritized for tenants whose households are at 80% Area Median Income (AMI) and/or households in which one or more individual members are unemployed and have been unemployed for 90 days or more.
The program is limited to residential tenants living in the City of El Paso or the County of El Paso who are not receiving other federal housing assistance. Only one application per household shall be accepted. Immigration status will not be requested nor be a factor in determining funding awards.
Property owners/property management companies sign up to be a participating landlord.
In this step, landlords will:
Confirm residence is within the City or County of El Paso
Review and agree to the terms and conditions of the program
Share property and banking Information
BakerRipley verifies landlord enrollment. If verified, the properties will be listed in the Participation Directory.
Open until all available rental assistance has been pledged.
Complete the rental assistance application
Provide necessary supporting documentation
Submit complete application
Open until all available rental assistance has been pledged.
Landlords verify the rent that is owed by tenant
Open until all available rental assistance has been pledged.
Once an application is submitted, program staff reviews the applications
When an application is approved, landlords and tenants will receive a pledge
BakerRipley will then disburse pledged rental assistance payment to the landlord
Open until all available rental assistance has been pledged.
The El Paso United Community Resiliency Center is dedicated to serving families financially impacted by COVID-19 and through our trained Resiliency Navigators, we connect individuals and/or families to community basic needs assistance, including millions of dollars in available rental assistance. Please contact El Paso United CRC at 1.877.594.7276.
The City of El Paso and County of El Paso have allocated $13.08 million in funding from the Federal Cares Act to provide rental assistance to landlords of residential rental properties for tenants who live within the City of El Paso or County of El Paso and are experiencing an economic hardship as a result of COVID-19.
This program is a collaboration of the Paso del Norte Community Foundation, BakerRipley and Connective.
The Paso del Norte Community Foundation is honored to partner with the City and County of El Paso to serve thousands of El Pasoans who are facing the prospect of losing their homes due to the health and economic crisis caused by COVID-19.
Tracy J. Yellen
Chief Executive Officer
Paso del Norte Community Foundation
As our community continues to deal with the economic impact of COVID-19 , the County is happy to provide rental assistance to its residents, who due to a loss of wages or income, may have struggled to pay rent. This assistance will bring relief by allowing families to stay in their homes as our economy stabilizes during these trying times.
The Honorable Ricardo Samaniego
El Paso County Judge
Many El Pasoans have been impacted by COVID-19 and the resulting financial hardships because of a loss of wages or income. I am proud that the City of El Paso will continue to provide support to residents by providing rental assistance relief that will help alleviate an economic need faced by many families.
The Honorable Oscar Leeser
City of El Paso Mayor
The Paso del Norte Community Foundation was established in 2013 to work with community partners to improve health, education, social services, economic development and quality of life in the Paso del Norte region. The PDN Community Foundation is the home of the Paso del Norte Health Foundation and over 100 community-based funds, including eight COVID-19 Response Funds providing support to nonprofit organizations serving the most vulnerable in our community.
BakerRipley, founded in 1907, brings resources, education, and connection to nearly 600,000 individuals in Greater Houston each year through holistic community-based programs that support socioeconomic mobility, health and wellness, and disaster recovery. BakerRipley most recently administered the City of Houston’s $15 million COVID-19 Rental Assistance Program.
Connective (formerly Harvey Home Connect) is a disaster recovery and preparedness system. We provide coordinated recovery for communities in need, and do so through building human-centered intake and application processes, technology-enabled coordination tools, and streamlined data analysis.
Assess no penalties, late fees or interest to a tenant’s account for the months for which rental assistance is received;
Provide tenant credit for any partial payments;
Rescind or cancel any prior notice to vacate and/or dismiss any eviction suit filed within 5 business days of receiving rent assistance payment;
Not interfere with the tenant’s possession of the unit by changing the locks, cutting off utilities or removing appliances;
Accept partial payments of rent and cap monthly late fees to $25.00 for tenants who become delinquent on payment of rent within two (2) months of receiving assistance;
Be able to accept rental assistance payments via Automated Clearing House (ACH);
Credit payment received to the tenant’s account within 5 days of receipt;
Return any overpayments of rent to BakerRipley within 5 calendar days;
Repay funds for breach of contract;
Comply with local, state, and federal eviction moratorium laws and federal anti-discrimination laws.
The tenant(s) requesting assistance must
Confirm that their landlord is listed in the Participating Landlord Directory
Tenants will be able to submit an application even if their landlord chooses not to participate. Approval process for tenants whose landlords are not participating may take longer, since the program has to reach out to the landlord three times over ten days before moving forward to approve direct payment to the tenant, according to program guidelines.
Be behind on rent payment(s) as far back as April 2020.
Be unable to pay rent due to economic harm from COVID-19 and are therefore at risk of eviction.
Have post-COVID-19 household income below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI). Income from Economic Impact Payments, also known as stimulus checks, are not included in determining AMI.
Submit only one application for rental assistance per household.
Income from Economic Impact Payments, also known as stimulus checks, are not to be included as AMI.
