Payment assistance programs available in Southern Nevada during pandemic

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Thousands of families still need assistance with rent, mortgage, and utilities in the Las Vegas valley.

And different cities in the area have programs to help with funds from the CARES Act. The programs have different requirements with the goal of helping as many residents as possible.

In North Las Vegas, residents who can demonstrate financial impact due to COVID-19 may apply for it directly through the city's application portal.

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It's available for those with less than $3,000 in liquid assets with assistance going directly to a landlord, mortgage or utility company.

North Las Vegas resident Crystal Kearns told 13 Action News that she just found out about the program.

"It will definitely help me catch up on stuff. I already had one bill and you know I'm just waiting for the other ones. The electric company, the utility companies, can only give you so long to pay your bill. My husband has been trying to do side work and trying to make ends meet, but it's been really hard on us," Kearns said.

Patrick Walker, public information officer of the city of North Las Vegas, said that in the first 24 hours, the CHAP program already had 160 applications.

"For some of the applications that we started seeing yesterday, by early next week, we can start seeing some of those payments going out and going to where they're supposed to go. This applies to back rent, back utilities, back to March, and up through November or how long we keep this is open," Walker said.

In Henderson, there's a similar program called the Resident Recovery Grant. It provides money to residents who need assistance with their child care, utilities, and broadband or internet payments.

Ryan Turner, with Henderson's emergency management team, says the program started on Oct. 5 and has received over 1,000 applications.

"The program is divided into three parts. The first part is our Utilities Assistance Program, and residents can receive up to $1,000 for that. The next one is our Childcare Assistance Program, and residents can receive $2,700 for that. And the last one is our Education Internet Program where they can receive up to $360 for that program," Turner said.

Clark County also has several programs to help its residents dealing with the loss of employment or other economic effects stemming from the pandemic.

Recent programs are planned to help about 15,700 Southern Nevada residents by paying their NV Energy utility bills through federal CARES Act funding.

"The pandemic has been incredibly hard on the residents of Southern Nevada," said Clark County Commission Chairman Marilyn Kirkpatrick. "Our families are struggling, and they shouldn't have to choose between putting food on the table and paying their power bills. This effort will provide real help to the families who need it most."

Clark County is providing a payment of $5.3 million to NV Energy to pay delinquent utility bills. Resident accounts will be credited if they have a past due balance stemming from the pandemic. This assistance includes those customers who notified NV Energy they need help with their payments.

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Michelle Follette,with NV Energy says the program is for past due amounts since March for customers who notified the company they were impacted by COVID-19.

These funds will start to reflect on Monday on customer's statements, according to the company.

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More information from NV Energy is available here.

More information from Clark County is available here.

More information from North Las Vegas is available here.

More information from Henderson is available here.