MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. — Mecklenburg County is accepting applications for a program to help homeowners with mortgage payments if the resident is facing financial hardship because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Applications are now open for the Mortgage Payment Assistance Program. Mecklenburg County is setting aside about $1 million of CARES Act funding available through the community block development program to help homeowners impacted by the pandemic.
“When you look at the entire footprint of the county… it’s important that resources are allocated equitably,” Mark Jerrell, Mecklenburg County Commissioner for District 4, explained.
This relief is only available to households in the unincorporated areas of Mecklenburg County plus the county's six towns: Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville, Matthews, Mint Hill and Pineville.
“We know people in the towns have been hit just as hard by COVID and relief for them is very important,” Jerrell said.
Homeowners must prove they have experienced a loss in income or other costs because of the pandemic. That includes job loss or furlough, reduction of work hours, COVID-19 illness of self or immediate family member.
Senior Assistant to the Deputy County Manager Timmothy Tibbs said there’s also an income requirement.
“They have to meet the area-median income that is required for [U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development] HUD, which for a family of four is from $63- to $67,000,” Tibbs said. “They must also have been current on their mortgage prior to the COVID-19 hardship.”
People who are approved could get up to six months of mortgage payments covered. County leaders said it’s about keeping people in their homes during these challenging times.
“One of the things that we want to do is be able to not just help during the heat of pandemic,” Tibbs said, “but also help these homeowners to stay in their home and help to stabilize them over the next months.”
Meanwhile, a separate program is accepting applications for rent, hotel and utility assistance. This RAMP Program accepts applications from the first through the fifteenth of the month to assist Mecklenburg County residents, including those within the City of Charlotte, impacted by the pandemic.
“They are still processing applications,” Jerrell said. “We know that people need plenty of assistance and we look forward to making sure that the support is available for those residents who qualify for that program as well.”
Both programs are available until funds run out.