East Lansing officials to help with rent, mortgage

The City of East Lansing is using money from the federal government to help struggling people pay the rent or mortgage.

City leaders tell FOX 47 they're hoping to keep it going until the pandemic ends.

SOME PEOPLE WHO ARE OUT OF WORKBECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC... AREHAVING TO CHOOSEBETWEEN PUTTING FOOD ON THETABLE..AND PAYING THE RENT ORMORTGAGE.NOW ONE CITY HERE INMID-MICHIGAN IS OFFERING THEMSOME HELP.FOX 47'S KELLAN BUDDY IS IN EASTLANSING WITH THE DETAILS.AARON STEPHENS EAST LANSINGMAYOR PRO-TEM"HALF OF THE JOB WITHIN THE PASTFEW WEEKS HAS BEEN 'HOW DO WEHELP FOLKS?

WHAT ARE THENEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY AND HOWCAN WE MEET THOSE NEEDS?'"THE NEW INITIATIVE IS A RESULTOF THE CARES ACT... SINCE THECITY OF EAST LANSING HAS ANINFLUX OFCASH...IT CAN GIVE STRUGGLINGRENT AND MORTGAGE PAYERS-- A BITOF RELIEF."THE MONEY BECAME AVAILABLE, ANDTHE TRUTH IS WE ALL KNEW WHEREPRIORITIES WERE...WE NEEDTO HELP THOSE THAT ARE MOSTVULNERABLE...SMALL BUSINESSESTHAT ARE STRUGGLING, PEOPLE THATCAN'T PAY RENT."APPLICANTS CAN GET UP TOTWO-THOUSAND DOLLARS TO HELP PAYFOR THEIR RENT OR MORTGAGE.STEPHENS TELLS ME HE HOPES THEYCAN GIVE OUT EXTRA FUNDS AS LONGAS THE PANDEMIC LASTS."IT'S NOT GOING TO BE ONEMONTH...IT'S GOING TO BE TWO ORTHREE MONTHS.

WE'RE LOOKING ATTHEPEOPLE THAT ARE DEFINITELYSTRUGGLING."THE CITY IS GETTING SOME HELPIMPLEMENTING THE PLAN FROM THECAPITAL AREA HOUSINGPARTNERSHIP."THIS PROGRAM IS INCREDIBLYDIFFICULT TO DO, THEY HAVE A LOTOF EXPERIENCE WITH HELPINGOUT WITH HOUSING ISSUES IN THECOMMUNITY SO THEY WERE WILLINGTO HELP OUT, WHICH IS GREAT."BUT STEPHENS SAYS...THERE'S ALOT OF WORK LEFT TO DO DURINGTHE CORONAVIRUSPANDEMIC."THERE'S NO ONE SOLUTION TO ALLOF THIS...ALL THIS WAS ABOUT WASFINDING NEW WAYS TO HELP WITHNEW PROBLEMS."KELLAN BUDDY, FOX 47 NEWSTHE CITY IS ALSO ACCEPTINGAPPLICATIONS FOR ITS "DOWNTOWNDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY BUSINESSRELIEF PROGRAM." UP TO ONEHUNDREDBUSINESSES CAN APPLY FOR A GRANTOF TWENTY-FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS.THE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM WILL BEDISCUSSED AT A COUPLE OF PUBLICHEARINGS --ON MAY 12TH AND 26TH.STEPHENS SAYS... COUNCIL WILLVOTE ON IT -- SOMETIME AFTERTHAT.