APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — It’s affecting renters all across the state.
“I was super in need of some assistance,” said Jacob Van Dyn Hoven, an Appleton resident.
He was laid off and nearly lost his apartment after Wisconsin’s eviction moratorium ended in late May.
“There was a court date. There was a court date and it’s actually being dismissed,” he said. “It got super close. It’s been a stressful month. A real stressful month.”
Van Dyn Hoven says he was desperately looking for relief after he lost his job.
“I started to get a little anxiety, if you will, about possibly losing my apartment,” he said. “That’s when I started looking at my other options of where I should go through and what I can do to help myself keep my apartment, because the last thing you want to do is not have a place to go.”
The state has invested $25 million in the Wisconsin Rental Assistance Program (WRAP) which helps renters keep their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re continuing to work with folks all across the state in various ways to make sure that people understand that they have this opportunity to get rental assistance so they can avoid eviction,” said Governor Tony Evers. “But at the end of the day we need to more about this.”
When the state’s eviction moratorium ended, Van Dyn Hoven was unemployed, but he wasn’t receiving any benefits.
“I’m actually waiting on unemployment right now.” he said. “That is one of the first things I applied for and because of the waiting list, that’s when I started to really sweat. Like, well I need to do something else. I need to figure this out before stuff hits the fan.”
Van Dyn Hoven says he was accepted to receive rental relief from WRAP just this week.
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