Helmon Johnson, Executive Director of Pearl River Valley Opportunity Inc. (PRVO), announces that PRVO has entered into contract with the Mississippi Home Corporation to operate a rental assistance program (RAMP) for Mississippians in PRVO’ s service area. The State of Mississippi received 200 million dollars from the Department of Treasury to operate a rental assistance program to aide individuals who rent their housing and who have been momentarily impacted by COVID-19.

PRVO will concentrate on individuals who rent their housing and are having difficult y in paying their rent. Tenants eligible for the program must meet the following eligibility criteria:

Qualifies for unemployment or has experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced a financial hardship due to COVID-19, demonstrates a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability, has a household income at or below 80 percent of the area median.

PRVO will operate this program in our service area which will consist of Forrest, Lamar, Jones, Covington, Jefferson Davis, Stone, Hancock, Perry, Greene, Pearl River and Marion counties. This RAMP program will allow Mississippi Home Corporation to pay rent to landlords for individuals who qualify up to a maximum of 15 months.

Johnson stated that this is a much-needed program for people in our area who have been affected by COVID-19 and having a difficult time paying their rent. Johnson stated that PRVO looks forward to implementing this program.

Individuals interested in applying for the RAMP program should contact PRVO at 601-736-9564.