August 12, 2020: President's Office Debrief

Cook County, Illinois sent this bulletin at 08/12/2020 06:46 PM CDT

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

August 12, 2020: President's Office Debrief

The COVID-19 Recovery: Rental Assistance Program helps suburban Cook County residents having difficulty paying their rent as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It pays up to $4,500 of overdue or future rent.

Rental payments will be sent directly to landlords by the Housing Authority of Cook County. The program is part of the Cook County Community Recovery Initiative, funded by the federal CARES Act.

Apply for the COVID-19 Recovery: Rental Assistance Program
For questions about the application, contact: COVIDregistration@thehacc.org
You can apply for rental assistance between August 10 and August 18.
Download the overview and Frequently Asked Questions in English, Spanish or Polish.

Sincerely,

Nick Shields
Director of Communications and Public Affairs

Press Releases

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle Announces $20 Million COVID-19 Recovery Rental Assistance Program for Residents of Suburban Cook County

Media Clips

Cook County to provide $20 million in CARES Act money to rental aid for suburban households, but Preckwinkle stresses additional federal funds needed: Cook County government will give out $20 million in federal CARES Act funds to suburban residents struggling to pay rent during the coronavirus pandemic, officials announced Friday while emphasizing the need for a slow-moving Congress to advance a second stimulus package. [Chicago Tribune]

New Cook County rental assistance program to offer up to $4,500 per household hit hard by COVID-19: Starting next week, Cook County residents behind on rent can apply for assistance through a new program that is expected to provide households impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic with up to $4,500 each, Cook County officials announced Friday. The $20 million program will take applications starting Monday through Aug. 18. It’s expected to provide financial relief of up to three months of rent — or up to $4,500 — to as many as 7,000 suburban households, said Richard Monocchio, the executive director of the Housing Authority of Cook County. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Cook County Officials Launch Rental Assistance Grants for Suburban Residents: With the state’s ban on evictions set to expire in two weeks, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced a $20 million rental assistance fund to help residents of suburban Cook County who lost their jobs or found their paychecks scaled back because of the coronavirus pandemic. [WTTW]

County launches $20 million rent help program: Weeks away from the scheduled end to the county’s eviction moratorium on August 22, Cook County has launched a $20 million program to help thousands of renters with financial insecurity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program, funded with federal relief money through the CARES Act, will help pay one to three months of overdue or future rent for income-eligible households. “Payments will be made directly to landlords on behalf of tenants up to a total of $4,500,” the county says in a release. [Crain's]

Cook County's Travel Quarantine List Updated to Include 20 Locations: Cook County's travel guidance was updated Tuesday with three states being dropped from the list of places the area requires a quarantine from. Mirroring Chicago's travel order, Iowa, Kansas and Utah all fell off the county's quarantine list after multiple weeks of case numbers below the city's threshold. Wisconsin and Nebraska were also noted for having numbers below the threshold, but will need to continue that streak for another week before they will be officially off the list. [NBC]

Cook County offering rent help to tenants facing eviction: With a Cook County eviction moratorium ending in two weeks, the county will use a lottery to distribute $20 million in federal CARES Act funds to help income-eligible people with their rent, officials announced Friday. Applications open Aug. 10 and will close on Aug. 18. Up to $4,500 will be paid to a landlord for an eligible household selected in the lottery. [Daily Herald]

Preckwinkle: Dramatic rise in suicides among Cook County's Black population: Cook County is seeing a dramatic increase in suicides among Black residents. "There have been more suicides so far this year in the Black community than in all of 2019," Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said. "Most notably, we are seeing an increase in youth suicide. The youngest victim this year was just 9 years old." [Daily Herald]

County announces $20M rental assistance program: During a press conference held Friday outside of the Oak Park Regional Housing Center, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced the launch of a new $20 million COVID-19 rental assistance program. Preckwinkle said the Cook County Board of Commissioners approved the program at a meeting last week. [Oak Park River Forest]

‘Restorative’ courts are expanding in Chicago — and that’s a good thing: We’re encouraged by the addition of two community-based courts designed to keep younger nonviolent offenders out of the maw of the traditional court system. The two Restorative Justice Community Courts are set to open Sept. 14 in the Englewood and Avondale neighborhoods. The courts will aim to settle nonviolent felony and misdemeanor cases involving young people through talks and sit-downs between victims and defendants, even members of the community. [Chicago Sun-Times]