Mayor's Corner: Helping Lakewood's Families Stay In Their Homes

Lakewood is a community that has risen to meet the challenge of the COVID-19 crisis. So many went above and beyond in their work, and our community came through the pandemic unified in our determination to help those in need. We can all be proud of how our city came through this crisis.

Our city was one of the first nationally to provide COVID funding through our Small Business Rent Relief Program, which helped keep the doors open for over 200 businesses that form the core of our economy and do so much to serve our residents. The grants were effective: our staff’s interactions with the business community indicate that the pandemic did not affect Lakewood’s overall occupancy rate, which is a tremendous feat. Our residential housing relief program was soon launched, and helped keep over 1,400 Lakewood residents in their homes.

Even as we gradually emerge from the pandemic, many residents remain vulnerable, especially those with lower incomes and those who lost employment. With the State of Ohio terminating additional unemployment funds and federal protections against evictions ending on July 31st, a risk of a housing crisis exists for Lakewood’s must vulnerable if we do not act swiftly.

You’ve probably heard that our city received over $47 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. These funds are restricted in how they can be spent, but fortunately they can be used to assist people facing a threat to their housing due to impacts from COVID-19. My administration has determined this to be an immediate need for a portion of these dollars.

It was a great show of unity when Lakewood City Council swiftly and unanimously voted to approve my administration’s recommendation to dedicate $1.68 million in ARPA funds to provide rental assistance and keep people in their homes. The funds will be dedicated exclusively to low-income recipients who are at risk of losing their housing due to the pandemic.

The timing is right for this new round of rental assistance, with previous CARES Act resources used for rent relief now exhausted. We are excited to partner with the Lakewood Community Service Center to administer these grants, which we expect to help over 400 Lakewood families stay in their homes. Once again, the Lakewood community is rising to the occasion by providing our most vulnerable residents with the emergency assistance they need.

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Volume 17, Issue 14, Posted 2:16 PM, 07.21.2021