Based on the COVID-19 Relief Bill passed by Congress in December 2020, the State of West Virginia has developed the Mountaineer Rental Assistance Program, operated by the West Virginia Housing Development Fund.  This program will be offering financial help to renters and landlords impacted by COVID-19.  
If you are eligible, the program can provide help to pay for:

• current rent, 
• future rent,
• past due rent,
• current utility bills,
• past due utility bills,
• and other expenses related to housing incurred due COVID-19.

To be eligible, you must meet these rules:

1.  Your household has income of no more than 80 percent of area median income (AMI), AND

2.  One or more individuals in the household has qualified for unemployment benefits, or has experienced a reduction in household income, or incurred significant costs or experienced other financial hardship due to COVID-19; AND

3. One or more individuals in the household can demonstrate a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability. This could be things like a past due utility or overdue rent notice or an eviction notice. Landlords and tenants can apply for this assistance together.

The Mountaineer Rental Assistance Program will direct payments to eligible tenants, landlords and utility companies as required by the guidelines. This a new program.  It will be a few weeks before you can apply for help. In the meantime, go to Mountaineer Rental Assistance Program | WVHDF for more information and to sign up for updates. Also, in the meantime, you should start to collect paperwork, like past due bills, overdue rent notices, or eviction notices.  When the program is available, you will want that paperwork handy so you can quickly apply for help.