County receives $900K grant to help struggling residents

ROCKINGHAM — Richmond County this month began the rollout of the long-awaited $900,000 in federal grant money it was awarded in December to help residents in need with rent, mortgage and utility payments.

The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), administered under the North Carolina CDBG Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) Program, was authorized by the federal CARES Act of 2020 to help the state respond to COVID-19. The rollout has been named the Richmond Assistance Program, and as of Wednesday, Sept. 8, there have been 213 applicants, according to County Manager Bryan Land.

The grant allows for a maximum of $1,000 to be sent to eligible families.

“We still have a considerable amount of funding available to assist our residents,” Land said. He encouraged everyone who is applying to take their time and “fully” complete the application with all the required supporting documents listed on the forms in order to make sure that their application is not returned.

The application does not need to be filled out in person. Applications can be printed off or picked up at the Richmond County Health Department building located at 127 Caroline St. in Rockingham. For assistance or any further information, call 910-997-8410.

In order to be competitive for the grant, the county had to submit an application that outlined its need for federal assistance. In the application, county officials reported that the Richmond County Water Department had more than 800 customers behind on their water payments at the time the application was submitted. They argued that county residents are struggling to make their monthly payments under the conditions that have been created by the pandemic, which have added to existing poverty.

“With a current unemployment rate of 9.3%, it is difficult for residents to pay their reported median gross rent of $642 or median monthly mortgage of $926, especially when the household median income was already $40,600 with a poverty rate of 26.1%,” the application states. “The funds awarded through this project will allow residents to rise above COVID-19 and get back to where they were before the pandemic. It will allow residents a new beginning while they are trying to suffer through the disparities of life.”