Sokaogon Chippewa Community News

Emergency Rental Assistance Program Covers Internet Bills

Yesterday, Gov. Tony Evers announced that the Wisconsin Emergency Rental Assistance Program (WERA), which provides rental and utility assistance to households affected by the pandemic, will begin to include coverage of internet costs for qualifying households.

To date, the state program has provided more than $38 million to nearly 11,000 households and is working to distribute available funds to eligible households and individuals.

“The past year and a half has underscored the fact that access to affordable high-speed internet is a necessity to how we live, learn, and work,” said Gov. Evers. “This additional resource coupled with our recent announcement of Broadband Access funding across the state should go a long way toward helping folks remain connected, make ends meet, and bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Eligible applicants include Wisconsin residents who meet the following criteria:

One or more individuals within the household has qualified for unemployment benefits or experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced other financial hardship due, directly or indirectly, to the COVID-19 pandemic;

One or more individuals within the household can demonstrate a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability; and

A household income at or below 80 percent of county median income.

Learn more here.