TENANT MUST MEET ALL 6 CRITERIA TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR ASSISTANCE

US Department of Treasury (#1-3) and Dane County/City of Madison (#4-6) Requirements:

1. The tenant applying for assistance must document, in writing, that a member of the household either qualifies for unemployment, OR experienced a loss in income, OR experienced other financial hardship due directly or indirectly to COVID-19 that threatens the household’s ability to pay the costs of the rental property when due;
   
   
2. A household can demonstrate a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability (this can be documented by having a statement of past due rent);
   
   
3. The applicant has a household income below 80% AMI
   
   
4. Tenant is a resident of Dane County, Wisconsin
   
   
5. Property is in Dane County
   
   
6. Tenant Applicant is a primary leaseholder OR Landlord is the prioperty owner/authorized property agent

Dane County Resident

To document this, applications must include a signed copy of the lease or verify that a verbal agreement exists for the unit. Addresses are verified during the application review process.

Back-Owed Rents Only

As a part of the application process, landlords/tenants will be required to supply a copy of their detailed rent ledger and sign statements to affirm the balance owed. Additionally, federal regulations restrict back-owed rents to those incurred after the start of the pandemic (3/12/2020). Rents prior to this date are ineligible for this program.

COVID-19 Economic Hardship or Unemployment

Tenants will be required to document the loss of income either through unemployment statements, wage statements, paycheck stubs, or other similar records. Tenants may also be required to sign statements affirming that they experienced financial hardship due to COVID-19.

80% of Area Median Income (AMI)

To qualify, the income for the household must be at or below 80% of AMI. To see if you meet this qualification, see the table below:

*The 80% figures are taken from HUD tables. They do not necessarily represent the precise mathematical percentage of the media income base of 100%. The additional % figures are provided for your convenience and are locally derived by formula from the 50% figure (i.e. 20% of 2 x 50% median income figure)

How much is covered?

The Dane County CORE Rental Assistance Program can cover up to 15 months of back-owed rent and other eligible fees and charges as agreed upon within the lease. This program cannot pay forward rent, utilities, or mortgage costs. Back-owed rents, fees, charges must be documented through a detailed rent ledger provided by the landlord.  Only fees and costs outlined within the rental agreement and eligible under WI law are eligible for payment. Please note: rents and other fees prior to the start of the pandemic (3/12/2020) are ineligible under this program per federal regulations.

Can I apply more than once?

The Dane County CORE Rental Assistance Program can cover up to 15 total months of back-owed rent; so it is possible for someone to receive assistance and reapply for subsequent months of rent owed. For example, you apply on 2/20/21 for back-owed rents from December, January, and February, but fall behind again for March. On the day after rent is due for March, you would be eligible to apply again for assistance following the same process as before. However, please note that this program has limited funding and we expect these funds to be expended quickly. Additionally, the Tenant Resource Center will prioritize first-time applicants under the CORE Program.

I previously received CARES assistance over the summer, am I eligible for CORE?

Yes! The Dane County CORE Program is funded through a separate act of Congress and there are no restrictions that prevent someone from receiving both CARES and CORE assistance. However, CORE cannot pay back-owed rents that have already been covered by CARES assistance (i.e. no double billing of rents). 

Does Dane County CORE Assistance count towards Public Charge determinations?

For those concerned with immigration status or applications, these funds are not weighed in Public Charge determinations and will not adversely affect immigration status or applications. For more information on public charge, please visit the National Low-Income Housing Coalition's Frequently Asked Questions guide.