Richmond Assist Program

Overview 

 The Richmond Assist Progam is funded by the RC-CDBG-CV grant in the amount of $810,000 and will soon be available to help curb housing evictions and utility disconnections.   NC Commerce’s Rural Economic Development Division (REDD) will administer the Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) funds awarded to the State by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to support North Carolina’s COVID-19 response efforts.  Richmond County was awarded funding towards public service with priorities designated as being the prevention of evictions and utility disconnections. The purpose of the program is to provide financial assistance to those families of low to moderate-income (see Eligibility tab) who are behind on rent and utility costs with the goal of keeping Richmond County families healthy, safe, and socially distanced.

The Richmond Assist Program, managed through Richmond County Human Services, will provide payments directly to vendors or landlords for the purpose of preventing homelessness (rent or mortgage) and utility service disconnections (water, power, gas, etc.).  The maximum allotment per household is up to $1000 until funds are exhausted.  This is not an emergency service.  It may take 14 days to process the application and 14 days to process the payment to the vendor.   

The program will open for applications on September 1st, 2021.   Applicants will not need to apply in person as the initial application can be printed (see Applications tab) or picked up at Richmond County Human Services to be dropped off in the Red Mailbox in front of the DSS entrance.  

RAP Flyer image
  1. Eligibility
  2. Process
  3. Applications

All Richmond County Residents are eligible for the program and must show proof.  Choose any of the following:

  1. Valid North Carolina Driver's License or state-issued identification card 
  2. Current rental agreement or mortgage receipt/utility bill indicating the address
  3. Current document from the employer
  4. Current Voter Registration Card

All applicants must meet income requirements as seen on the chart below:  

Income levels for a low-income person are those whose total annual income is 50% or less of the annual median income.  In addition, moderate-income people are those whose total annual income is above 50% but less than 80% of the annual median income. 

Number in Household


Low Income 50% or Less

Moderate Income 80% or Less 

I

$20,350.00

$32,550.00

2

$23,250.00

$37,200.00

3

$26,150.00

$41,850.00

4

$29,050.00

$46,500.00

5

$31,400.00

$50,250.00

6

$33,700.00

$53,950.00

7

$36,050.00

$57,700.00

8

$38,350.00

$61,400.00


Documents are needed for income verification of all household members. Choose any of the following that applies to your income: 

  1.  Pay stubs
  2. Any payment records that household members receive
  3. Benefit letters (with income stated) include:  

All applicants must have past-due utilities and/or housing accounts and show proof such as:

  1. Copies of past-due notices
  2. If past due on rent, please use the Landlord and Tenant Agreement form (see Applications tab)

All applicants must provide:

  1. Current telephone number
  2. Social Security numbers for all household members