The Cobb County Board of Commissioners approved redirecting CARES Act funding to provide rental assistance to additional Cobb County residents adversely affected by COVID-19. The funding will allow for the approval of up to 750 grants, almost double the amount originally processed.

“The demand for rental assistance has far exceeded expectations,” said Cobb County Chairman Mike Boyce. “We want to help as many people as possible and this will allow us the flexibility to serve even more residents.”

In September 2020, the county entered into an agreement with HomeFree-USA to administer funding which allowed for 400 applications to be processed for a maximum grant of up to $4,800 on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. Administrators say they received far more applications than they anticipated.

Following a review of 718 applications currently in process, HomeFree-USA determined that the actual amount of the award needed by tenants was lower than expected. These additional funds will now be administered to additional applicants, up to a total of 750.

HomeFree-USA will distribute a total of $1,815,000 to renters impacted by the pandemic.