As of today, the Kansas Emergency Rental Assistance (KERA) program has assisted nearly 7,800 Kansas households that have struggled financially due to the COVID pandemic by granting more than $41.5 million in rental, utilities, and internet assistance to eligible Kansas households. Every applicant who has received assistance through the KERA program has a unique story to share. One of those applicants is Gary Evert of Olathe.
“My wife Sheryl and I are in our 70s, and before we received our KERA funding, life was really stressful. We didn’t know when we would be able to pay our landlord, but he remained patient, ” said Evert.
“The best part about this program,” Evert said, “was the KERA program associate we spoke with. She was so sweet and kind. She was able to point out a few little details I needed to address on the application, and she was always there to answer every single question I had. ‘Take a breath,’ she said, ‘because it’s going to take several breaths before your application is processed.’ We’re all nervous, but when someone can calm you down and give you a sense of hope, it’s very comforting.”
Though we encourage applicants to call KERA customer service at 785-217-2001, Option 1, with questions or concerns, we also encourage you to periodically take a breath as you check your application dashboard to view the status of your application. Eligible households can expect KERA applications to move through some of the following status changes over a period of weeks. Here are some explanations of the various status changes that can help you breathe a little easier:
- Incomplete/Requires Applicant Response: Your application has either not been submitted, or we have found some missing items that need to be added. Those items will be listed under the “messages” tab in your application dashboard
- Pending Initial Review: The KERA Processing team is reviewing the application to make sure all documents we need are uploaded and all necessary fields are accurately filled out to qualify for approval.
- Pending Property Manager Acceptance: Your application has passed initial review, and we are waiting to receive documents from the property manager or servicer.
- Utility Review: Your request for rental assistance has been verified, and we are verifying requested utility amounts with the utility and/or internet providers.
- Final Review: The application has been verified for rental and/or utilities assistance and is being checked one last time before being submitted for funding.
- Submitted for Funding: The application has passed final review and has been put into the queue for KERA to make the final decision on whether the applicant will receive funding. Once applications reach this status, landlords, property managers, and service providers of eligible households can expect to receive payments within a week and a half
- Funding Approved: KERA has approved the application and is in the process of sending out funds.
- Payment Sent: KERA has approved the application and has sent the funding to the landlords, property managers, and service providers. At this stage, applicants can reapply for three prospective months of rental assistance at a time. Instructions for reapplying can be found here: https://conta.cc/3isig4F
If applicants still have questions after checking their status, or need immediate assistance with utility disconnections, restoring utility services, or addressing eviction notices while awaiting funds, they are encouraged to call KERA customer service at: 785-217-2001, Option 1, or to send an email to kera@kshousingcorp.org.
