Federal COVID-19 Rent and Utilities Assistance Set For Birmingham Residents
The City of Birmingham has received nearly $6.3 million in federal funding to assist residents who are unable to pay rent and utilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The funding comes as part of a $25 billion program from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, which began allocating money to states, territories, local governments and Indian tribes last month.
Funding for the Emergency Rental Assistance program was approved by the City Council during Tuesday’s regularly scheduled meeting. It was initially announced last month by Mayor Randall Woodfin, who said his administration had made the funding a “priority.”
“No one should be at a risk of losing their home or services due to economic hardships from COVID-19,” Woodfin said in a press release.
When the program becomes available, Birmingham renters will be able to apply as long as they meet the following criteria:
- They qualify for unemployment or have experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced a financial hardship due to COVID-19;
- They demonstrate a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability and;
- They have a household income at or below 80% of the area median.
Applications to receive funding aren’t yet being accepted; an information line for the program can be reached at 205-250-7537, and the program has a page on the city’s website.
As Israel recovers the bodies of three more hostages, how many are still in Gaza?
Israel said Sunday that it has recovered the bodies of three more hostages taken in Hamas' Oct. 7 attack that ignited the ongoing 20-month war in the Gaza Strip.
Iran’s top officials condemn U.S. strikes and assert their right to self-defense
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the American operation an "outrageous, grave and unprecedented violation" of the United Nations Charter and international law.
World reacts to U.S. strikes on Iran with alarm, caution — and some praise
As the world reacted to news of U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, international officials largely responded with alarm and calls for restraint.
FedEx founder Fred Smith, who revolutionized package delivery, dies at 80
Smith once said he came up with the name Federal Express because he wanted the company to sound big and important when in fact it was a start-up operation with a future far from assured.
In this rural Colorado valley, cuts to Medicaid would have vast ripple effects
Cuts to Medicaid moving through Congress would shake up health care in the scenic San Luis Valley — with negative downstream effects on local jobs, businesses and education.
What separates the ultrarich from the just-plain-rich? The gigayacht.
A new collection of essays by New Yorker writer Evan Osnos, The Haves and Have-Yachts, provides rich research and material for the conversation about extreme wealth in America today.