A tally of the funds remaining in Crawford County’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) grant is expected within the next 60 to 90 days.
ERAP, a program to help income-qualifying people pay for rent and utility bills, began in mid-March 2021. Funding was given to states through the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021 and American Rescue Plan Act as part of COVID-19 relief legislation.
Crawford County was allocated $10,699,532, of which $9,772,672 — 91 percent of the total — was distributed to qualifying county residents.
The county had the nonprofit Center for Family Services social services agency manage the program with assistance from the Crawford County Human Services Department.
Any remaining funds would have to be returned to the state once the program’s records close out.
At a July 24 work session of county commissioners, Meadville resident Joe Tompkins questioned why a remaining $926,860.10 in funds is not being used to assist residents in need.
The remaining funds cited are less than $926,860.10 and need to offset administrative costs related to staff time for the county offices involved and the Center for Family Services, according to county officials.
The Crawford County amount cited was from a Pennsylvania Department of Human Services ERAP report of March 31, 2023 — which was accurate as of that moment in time, according to county officials.
The amount remaining was $696,728.35 as of Wednesday and is expected to drop even more, according to the county.
“We still have staff time for the county — the Human Services Department and the Finance Office — to account for and remaining staff time for Center for Family Services,” Stephanie Franz, Crawford County’s chief financial officer, said. “We have two years of staff time involved (over the course of its administration).”
Eric Henry, chairman of the Crawford County Board of Commissioners, said the grant did get almost $10 million into the hands of those who were in need.
“We put a lot of time into administering this grant,” Henry said. “It’s taken a lot of time from our financial departments (at Human Services and Finance) to administer it. We need to get that paid back to the taxpayers.”
Jason Nesbitt, executive director of the Center for Family Services, said ERAP was a crisis-borne program.
“A lot of care was taken that this money was spent appropriately,” Nesbitt said. “The community benefited. It was a 15-month safety net that was a crisis program, but it’s not available anymore.”
“You can’t have rent paid perpetually forever,” Nesbitt continued. “But we can work with people, giving people skill sets for (household) budgeting for a long-term solution. It’s how we can help individuals to transform their lives to be self-sustaining.”
However, Tompkins said he wants to see the remaining funds go toward preventing evictions.
“I’d like to see the commissioners prioritize eviction prevention,” Tompkins said. “It’s a lot of money to leave on the table and it could go a long way to helping people stay housed.”
Amanda Smith is a dedicated U.S. correspondent with a passion for uncovering the stories that shape the nation. With a background in political science, she provides in-depth analysis and insightful commentary on domestic affairs, ensuring readers are well-informed about the latest developments across the United States.
