City Announces Phase 2 of COVID-19 Rental Assistance Program
The City and PHDC announced a second phase of rental assistance for tenants affected by COVID-19. PHDC will begin accepting applications on July 6 at PHLRentAssist.org. Applications may be submitted until September 30 or when funding runs out. The first phase of rental assistance was able to assist more than 4,000 tenants. However, nearly 13,000 tenants applied to the program. Phase 2 will allow about 6,300 more renters to get help. Funding comes to Pennsylvania from the federal Cares Act. The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency is distributing funds to each county in the state. Philadelphia’s share is $28.45 million. Funding will be awarded for qualified applicants on a first-come, first-served basis.
COVID-19 Relief Pennsylvania Statewide Small Business Assistance Program
A new program from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will provide grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 to small businesses (under $1 million in annual revenue and 25 or fewer employees) that have been economically impacted by COVID-19. Applications—which will be available beginning tomorrow, June 30—will be accepted through the Pennsylvania CDFI Network. The network comprises 17 Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) that will support small businesses throughout the Commonwealth to access the grant funds. A new website set up for the grant program, pabusinessgrants.com, includes important details for prospective applicants including:
- Eligibility requirements for businesses, including priority criteria
- Potential grant amounts based on business revenue
- What business owners can prepare now for their application
Eligible businesses will be able to use the grants to cover operating expenses during the shutdown and transition to re-opening, as well as technical assistance including training and guidance for business owners as they stabilize and relaunch their businesses. More information is available in a blog post from the City’s Department of Commerce.
Testing Site Map
A testing site finder at phila.gov/testing helps people find a free COVID-19 test in Philadelphia. Anyone can search for a site by address, click on a map location for specific site information, and filter by day of week and by drive-thru or walk-up.
- City’s COVID-19 homepage: phila.gov/covid-19.
- COVID-19 resources translated into multiple languages.
- Greater Philadelphia Coronavirus Helpline: 1 (800) 722-7112.
- Residents can text COVIDPHL to 888-777 to get updates sent to their phones.
- Find out more about testing for COVID-19.
- Businesses with questions about reopening using the Department of Public Health’s guidelines should email business@phila.gov.
- The PHL COVID-19 Fund continues to solicit donations to aid nonprofits that are on the frontline of the pandemic.
