Rental help is available through Carroll County PRC program

Carroll County provides a short-term solution to temporary financial crises that could have long-term consequences.

Prevention, Retention and Contingency

Carroll County operates a Prevention, Retention and Contingency (PRC) program that takes a proactive approach to dealing with family financial issues. It provides temporary cash to help individuals and families deal with a short-term crisis.

Temporary situations require temporary solutions. County officials understand that it makes no sense to require families who have experienced a recent crisis situation to enroll in a long-term assistance program. Those programs are designed for families who face chronic hardship.

Instead, the county provides a fund that can be tapped to provide up to $1,200 to help a household that is short on cash. This rental assistance grant can keep families away from high-interest lenders that hawk loans to vulnerable renters who ordinarily are already living paycheck to paycheck. It basically saves people from taking out more debt that they would have a difficult time repaying.

There are basically two tiers of rental assistance. One tier provides an $800 payout to a household to help curb an eviction. The other offers a $1,200 payment.

Case managers work with each applicant to determine what amount of help is needed. Households earning no greater than 200% of federal poverty guidelines for Carroll County, Ohio are generally eligible. If you are currently receiving energy assistance, then you will likely not qualify.

Long-term support requires a lengthy qualification process that requires recipients to participate in the Ohio Works First program. One problem with this approach is that many households would be evicted prior to gaining benefits through that program. Therefore, the PRC is utilized for emergency situations that require quick response.

If you think that you might be eligible for help through the PRC program, you should call the Carroll County Department of Job and Family Services at 330-627-2571. You will be able to ask any questions and set up an appointment with a case worker to review your application. You should expect to answer a few screening questions on the call.