With more than two-thirds of the county’s Emergency Rental Assistance funds already distributed, Cobb Commissioners approved tapping into an additional source of federal funding to continue providing rental and utility assistance to those impacted by the COVID pandemic.

Five nonprofit organizations have worked to distribute the $22.8 million Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA1) allocation and with assistance from the Cobb Magistrate Court and others more than $15 million has been distributed into the community.  Local governments were under a deadline to distribute 65% of the funding by the end of September, but with that goal surpassed commissioners okay'd using “ERA2” funds to continue the program.

Commissioners formally accepted the $7.2 million in ERA2 funds earlier this year.  Unlike the ERA1 funding, these funds would be available through September 2025. The same five nonprofit organizations that are currently administering the program will distribute the funds (see www.cobbcounty.org/ERA for details).  The other differences include:

• In order to be eligible for ERA2 assistance, the applicant must have received unemployment or experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced a financial hardship DURING or due to COVID-19;
• The aggregate amount of financial assistance an eligible household may receive under ERA2 when combined with financial assistance under ERA1, must not exceed 18 months. 

The Board of Commissioners approved the allocation of these funds during its Sept. 28 meeting.