Conway, South Carolina (June 14, 2021)—Horry County is partnering with Eastern Carolina Housing Organization (ECHO) to provide rental assistance to residents struggling to pay their rent due to the continued economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Horry County received approximately $10.7 million from the US Treasury Department for the program as a direct allocation. This federally-funded program will support the continued expansion of the Homeless Prevention assistance program being offered by ECHO to help families and individuals facing economic hardship to stay in their homes. The program is available to anyone living in Horry County, not just those residents that live in unincorporated areas.
“We recognize that while in many ways life is getting back to normal, there are people in our community still struggling to make ends meet,” said Beth Tranter, Deputy Director of Horry County Community Development. “We are proud to continue this partnership with ECHO to get assistance directly to the folks that need help.”
Horry County already partners with ECHO to provide rapid rehousing and homeless prevention assistance to Horry County individuals and families. CEO of ECHO Joey Smoak said, “We recognized early on in the pandemic that our community was going to need additional support to keep families whole and housed. We’re glad to see this additional funding coming to fruition and we will keep working hard on behalf of the families that need us to get them support.”
Applications for assistance will be available via an online application system accessible from ECHO’s website at www.echousing.org. Interested applicants who do not have computer access can call the ECHO Access Point ERAP line at (843) 492-2600 to complete an application over the telephone.
Eligible expenses include up to 12 months of unpaid rent and reasonable late fees, and unpaid utility expenses, including internet. All applicants will be screened for eligibility and will be asked to provide documentation including: proof that one or more adults in the household has qualified for unemployment benefits or has experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced other financial hardship due directly or indirectly to the coronavirus outbreak.