TULSA, Okla. — Restore Hope Ministries distributed over $4 million in rent and utility assistance through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
The organization is set to provide millions of dollars more in help. Close to 1,000 applicants in 20 eligible counties received funds. ERAP helps tenants pay past due rent and up to three months of future rent.
The Restore Hope Ministries organization always distributed rent assistance, but never on this scale. In the first month of launching ERAP, Restore Hope received more applications than in the past 10 years of requests prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We knew that there was going to be a spike in families and individuals needing rent and utility assistance because of the pandemic, but the need was greater than anyone imagined,” said Jeff Jaynes, Restore Hope Ministries executive director. “We increased our capacity to help as many families stay in their homes as possible, and we still have millions in state funding and $16 million in City/County funding to support families in need which we are processing and distributing as quickly as we can.”
ERAP is funded through the City of Tulsa, Tulsa County, and the State of Oklahoma with funds awarded by the U.S. Department of Treasury.
Assistance is available to those who meet the following qualifications:
- Applicants must be a resident of one of the 20 eligible counties listed on this website
- Applicants must have a household income at or below 80% of the area median income or qualify for unemployment
- Applicants must demonstrate a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability
- Applicants must be age 18+
Applications are currently open and extend through Sept. 30, 2022, or until the allocated funding is exhausted.
Every Saturday in June, ERAP specialists can help candidates apply between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The locations are:
- Greater First Baptist Church in Bartlesville (216 W 10th St.)
- Rayfield Baptist Church in Muskogee (601 Indianapolis Ave)
- First Baptist Church North Tulsa (1414 N Greenwood Ave.)
Restore Hope Ministries started in 1978 on the basis to seek to restore families in financial crisis to economic and spiritual vitality. Restore Hope works every day to reduce hunger, poverty, and homelessness for families in Tulsa County.
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