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House Wake! Financial Assistance Program to Host In-Person Event for Pending Applications

Phyllis Coley @phyllis_coley

The House Wake! COVID-19 Financial Assistance Program is offering in-person support for residents who have a pending application awaiting a decision.

assistance programThis community event will be held on Saturday, Feb. 26, from 1 – 6 p.m. at the Southeast Raleigh YMCA. Staff from Telamon, the administrator of House Wake!, will be on-site to answer questions related to the status of applications and address any issues that may have delayed processing.

“We recognize that many people still waiting in the queue want to know why their paperwork hasn’t been approved yet,” said Wake County Commissioner Vickie Adamson. “This event will allow applicants to sit down face-to-face with eviction prevention specialists who can walk them through all aspects of their application, answer their questions and help move them through the process as quickly as possible.”

This event is only for those who have an application in process or who are looking to recertify. No additional applications for assistance will be accepted.

Assistance provided at the event will include:
  • Help with a submitted application still awaiting eligibility determination;
  • Recertification for applicants who are eligible for additional funding;
  • Missing documents in application packets that may delay processing; and
  • Payment questions such as when tenants can expect to receive payment (there will be NO payments made on-site).

Currently, The House Wake! Program has 5,299 applications pending and paid out more than $30 million in rent and utility bill assistance.

In order to process all outstanding applications more quickly, Telamon has brought on additional support staff to assist in the completion of the outstanding cases. Since the program began in September 2020, the number of applications has increased exponentially. This, coupled with staff shortages, resulted in some Telamon staff having caseloads as high as 500 per person.

With the addition of new staff to help bridge the gap, it’s now anticipated each specialist will have no more than 160 cases each.

House Wake! applicants with an application in process will receive an email with information on how to register for the event. Residents can also register online here.

Masks will be required for entry into this event.