Manteca residents unable to pay their mortgages due to the pandemic emergency and who do not exceed certain household income limits may be able to get assistance through the city’s COVID-19 Homeless Prevention Program.

The City Council on Tuesday may add mortgage assistance to rental assistance using $200,000 allocated to Manteca by the federal government. It is part of the city’s share of the $5 billion Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act for the rental assistance program.

The assistance program was launched in early May as being exclusively for renters.

So far the rental assistance program has assisted 17 households for a total $48,853. There are six applications for rental help currently being processed.

The program can be accessed by persons that have suffered a substantial loss of income due to job loss, a reduction in work hours, the closure of their employer’s business during the pandemic emergency, missing work due to a minor child’s school closure or other “similarly-caused reason” of a loss income due to COVID-19 that has resulted in them not being able to pay rent.

Funds can only be used for rent or mortgages including late fees associated with unpaid rent as well as basic utilities. Past due rent or utility bills prior to March 19 are not eligible for assistance.

To be eligible the household’s current income cannot exceed 80 percent of the area’s median income that varies based on household income. Offsets to loss of income such as unemployment, direct assistance, paid family sick leave, vacation pay, and disability pay will be counted toward income.

Eligible households can qualify for the assistance for up to three months as long as there is a demonstrated need and as long as funding is available. Monthly assistance requires re-evaluation of need.

All assistance will be made payable to the appropriate vendor and not the household.

The city has contracted with Central Valley Housing to administer the program.

An assistance application package will be posted on the Manteca City website, on the SJ211.org website, or available in printed version at the office of Love Inc. (965 E. Yosemite Ave., No. 25) and at the office of Manteca Rescue Mission (602 E. Yosemite Ave.).  Central Valley Housing can be contacted directly at contact@cvlihc.org and a package can be emailed, by telephone at 209-472-7200 ext. 100, or in person at 2431 W. March Lane #350 in Stockton.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com