Questions and Answers about Rent Assistance in Kitsap

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I am not working and I can’t pay my rent. Is help available?
Yes!
There are 2 assistance programs:
1) For those who live within the city limits of Bremerton, you can apply for help from the Bremerton Housing Authority. It is the public housing agency located in the City of Bremerton. They have a fund for people who lost their job or have fewer hours due to COVID-19 (coronavirus). If you are approved, the City pays 70% of your rent for 3 months. Call (360) 473-0325 and leave a message with your name and phone number or visit https://www.bremertonhousing.org/index.php/19-bha-news/537-bremerton-covid-19-rental-assistance-program.
2)
For those who live in Kitsap but live outside the Bremerton City limits, you can request help from Kitsap Community Resources. It is a non-profit agency. They have a fund for people who lost their job or have fewer hours due to COVID-19 (coronavirus). If you are approved, the County pays 100% of your rent for 1 month, and they could pay a portion of the rent for up to 2 more months if needed. Call 360-473-2056 for information in Spanish or visit https://www.kcr.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Required-Documents-Spanish.pdf.
3)
If you do not qualify for either program or need help in Spanish to apply, call KIAC: 360-440-2376.

Do I need to give a social security number to get help with my rent?
No
. Neither of the programs asks for a social security number.

I am paid in cash at work. How can I verify my income?
You can get a letter from the person who pays you (your employer, your brush-picking liaison) saying how much you earned per week during January, February, and March 2020. The letter needs to include the person’s name, signature, and phone number. The letter is not shared with anyone outside of the rental assistance program, it is only used to verify income to see if the applicant qualifies for the assistance.

You also need to provide proof that COVID-19 (coronavirus) affected your income. If you work for cash, the same letter that says how much you earned can say that you are not able to work or have fewer hours due to COVID-19. If you are paid by check, you need a letter from your employer in addition to your paystubs, stating that you are not able to work or have fewer hours due to COVID-19. The letter may also be from a doctor, if you have contracted COVID-19 or are at high risk and your doctor says you cannot work because of it.

I do not have a written lease with my landlord. What I can do?
If you do not have a written lease, you need to talk to your landlord and sign a contract together. The lease must follow the laws of Washington state and include this information:

✓Name of tenant(s)
✓Name of landlord
✓Address of rental property
✓Occupancy (who gets to live at the rental)
✓Term of agreement (lease start and end date)

✓Rent rate and date due
✓Deposits (if any and what for/term)
✓Signature of tenant/date
✓Signature of landlord/date

Is it safe to give my personal information to these programs? Will they share my information?
à To ensure that your information only goes to the office where you apply for assistance, you need to indicate that you do not want your information entered into the “HMIS” system. That means: If the rental assistance program gives you a paper to sign about HMIS (the Washington state data system for all housing assistance programs), you can sign the paper and check “Opt Out.” If you do that, your application and information will only be stored at the local program office and on their computers, and will not be shared outside of the office where you requested help.
*THIS INFORMATION IS FROM KIAC AND IS NOT OFFICIALLY APPROVED BY THESE PROGRAMS*

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