One of the crises brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic is the inability of many citizens to keep current with their rent and mortgage payments because of lack of income and other damaging economic effects of the pandemic.

Most eviction hearings in Cobb County Magistrate Court have been put on hold temporarily, but while the hold continues many renters continue to accumulate back rent, which is expected to result in a catastrophic wave of evictions on a nation-wide basis.

Similarly many homeowners are falling behind it their mortgage payments.

In an attempt to address this problem, the Cobb County Board of Commissioners approved $6 million in funding to provide emergency rent and mortgage for county residents affected by COVID-19, administered by Star-C and HomeFree-USA. 

To explain the programs, Cobb County is holding a live-streamed virtual open house on Monday, September 21 from 6 to 8 p.m. 

You can watch the event at any of these CobbTV sites:
YOUTUBE
FACEBOOK
WEBSITE
CABLE: Government access channel on Cobb systems

Margaret Stagmeier of Star-C and Earnest Davis of HomeFree-USA will describe the programs, the application process, and answer questions from residents. You can email questions before or during the event to CARES@CobbCommunications.org.

If you can’t livestream the event from your home or other location, the county has set up the livestream at these four facilities, with limited seating and the requirement that attendees wear masks and maintain social distance:

• North Cobb Regional Library – Community Room
  3535 Old 41 Highway, Kennesaw
• Sewell Mill Cultural Center – Black Box Theater
  2051 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta
• The Earl and Rachel Smith Strand Theatre
  117 N Park Square, Marietta
• South Cobb Recreation Center – Gym
  875 Riverside Parkway, Austell

The county news release emphasized that applications will not be available at these events, which are intended solely to educated residents about the availability of the help, and to answer questions.