The program is designed to help those impacted by COVID to remain in their homes. Last month Kettering stopped accepting most applications because funds were drying up, officials said.
But the county contacted Kettering to distribute more of the remaining money, City Manager Matt Greeson said.
The additional funds “would allow a little continuation of the program basically through the end of the year,” Greeson said. “We think we could help approximately 50 more households and hopefully prevent their eviction and homelessness.”
Kettering City Council last week approved the deal, raising the city’s total to more than $7.4 million since the program started in 2021, Greeson said.
The new funds increase Kettering’s remaining money to about $550,000, said Angela Rahman, Kettering community development manager.
Since the Aug. 18 application deadline, the city has been accepting requests only from renters who have pending eviction cases in Kettering Municipal Court, Rahman said.
Still, Kettering had a backlog of about 140 applications as of early last week, some of which met the deadline but didn’t have court cases pending, she said. In more recent weeks, anywhere from five to 12 applications have been submitted, Rahman added.
Meanwhile, eviction cases are mounting. Through Wednesday, filings in Kettering Municipal Court this year were at 422, nearly on pace with pre-pandemic levels of 2019, Clerk of Courts Rob Scott said.
Last year’s 669 cases easily surpassed the 581 filings from four years ago, records show.
“We’re seeing a lot more evictions,” Rahman said, emphasizing that those with active court evictions will be served first “because that’s our priority.”
Through early last week, more than 416 evictions have been avoided in the four south suburbs since the program started. About 50 of those have come since mid-July, city records state.
Recipients must have been impacted by COVID through job loss, layoffs or personal circumstances, officials have said.
Maximum annual income requirements are also involved. They range from $47,150 for a one-person household to $88,850 for a family of eight, Kettering records show.
The average recipient in Kettering’s program pays $895 a month in rent and has 2.2 people in their household, according to the city.
They receive the equivalent of two months future rent and slightly more than three months in arrears, Kettering records show.
Rahman said she isn’t sure the city’s remaining funds will be able to cover all of those who are eligible, but “it will be close.”
Once those funds are depleted, applicants will be referred to Homefull and the Miami Valley Community Action Partnership, both of which have been distributing rental assistance funds, she said.
The MVCAP budgets $150,000 each month for emergency rental assistance, which also includes funds for utilities, said Erin Jeffries, its vice president and chief operating officer.
MVCAP’s program, which is funded through the state, serves Darke, Greene, Montgomery and Preble counties.
It received about $3.8 million earlier this year. About $2.25 million remain, but Jeffries said the agency’s goal is have funds last through 2024, thus the monthly budget.
EVICTION FILINGS
Kettering Municipal Court eviction filings have increased the past two years after COVID-mandated restrictions were lifted.
Year Filings
2019 581
2020 358
2021 450
2022 669
2023 422*
*Through Sept. 25.
Source: Kettering Municipal Court.
TOP ZIP CODES
As of Sept. 22, Kettering’s Stay Put program has awarded funds to more than 1,523 recipients since 2021. The following are the ZIP codes in which the most funds were distributed.
ZIP code Recipients Total
•45429 229 $972,724
•45417 246 $925,062
•45420 219 $889,169
•45439 158 $700,315
•45440 146 $553,364
Source: City of Kettering.
About the Author
