Batavia Renters Could Get Help From $15M Kane County Program

BATAVIA, IL — Batavia tenants who have fallen behind on their rent due to the coronavirus pandemic could be set to get a helping hand with Kane County officials looking to set up a program to distribute millions in federal funding.

The county is set to receive about $15 million for emergency rental assistance from a federal coronavirus-relief package passed last month, the Daily Herald reports.

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The $900 billion relief package, which included $600 stimulus checks for individuals, allocated $25 billion for emergency rental relief throughout the U.S. It also extended a national moratorium on evictions until Jan. 31, the report states.

Officials are expected to distribute the county’s funding through $5,000 grants to renters who need assistance. About 3,000 renters would stand to receive rental assistance, which is only about an eighth of residents who may need help in the county, the report states.

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There are around 45,000 renters in Kane County, and the county has estimated nearly half — 22,000 — have fallen behind on their payments, the Daily Herald reports.

The Kane County Board voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a resolution to apply for and accept $15 million in federal funding for emergency rental relief.

Republican board member Mike Kenyon, of Elgin, said it was a “no-brainer” to accept the funding, which will significantly ease some residents’ stress.

Board Chairman Corinne Pierog said the funding will not only help renters keep their homes, but it could also ward off a potentially “huge” foreclosure rate among the county’s landlords, “who have to pay mortgages as well.”

Kane County had a 6.2 percent unemployment rate at the end of November, up two percentage points from the previous year, Pierog said.

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Low-income renters — four-person households with an income of $45,500 or less — will receive top priority for emergency rental assistance, while middle-income renters will have second priority, the Daily Herald reports. Middle-income renters have a household income of less than $72,800.

The Illinois Housing Development Authority is expected to administer the program for Kane County, which will notify residents when applications are available, the report states.

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