HOLLIDAYSBURG — Blair County is preparing to start working with another agency — Center for Community Action — to administer a program that helps renters having difficulty paying their housing and utility bills.

The Center for Community Action, an Everett-based agency with an office in Altoona, is preparing to start administering the Emergency Rental Assistance Program 2 by accepting applications beginning May 16.

Blair County Community Action of Altoona, which administered the Emergency Rental Assistance Program 1 on behalf of the county, is expected to finish tasks associated with that program and distribute the remaining funds.

Commissioners Chairman Bruce Erb said Tuesday that the decision to contract with the Center for Community Action reflects complaints the county and lawmakers received about the administration of the prior program.

Commissioner Amy Webster, who participated in Tuesday’s meeting by phone, spoke of a significant increase in new applications during the COVID-19 pandemic that made it difficult for Blair County Community Action to keep up.

When the Mirror contacted Blair County Community Action for comment, it had to leave a message on the phone answering system.

Information on the agency’s website indicated that between April 2021 and April 2022, it distributed $5.86 million to help 965 households pay rent, 483 households pay utilities and 137 households with temporary living arrangements.

Wendy Melius, executive director of the Center for Community Action, said her agency, which works with several counties, is looking forward to working with Blair County residents in need of financial help with rental and utility payments.

The Center for Community Action, she said, already provides assistance to Blair County residents through the Employment Advancement Retention Network, which helps those in need of job training, and the Early Learning Resources Center, which offers day care services to qualified applicants.

Melissa Gillin, quality assurance and housing coordinator for Blair County’s Department of Human Services, said applications are no longer being accepted for financial help under the Emergency Rental Assistance Program 1 because that program is coming to an end.

The Emergency Rental Assistance Program 2, she said, is slated to extend through 2025 and provide Blair County residents as much as $6.7 million in financial help.

The Center for Community Action, in a news release issued Tuesday, indicated that county residents in need of financial help should apply through the state COMPASS website at www.compass.state.pa.us.

Those having problems accessing or manipulating the website can contact the Center for Community Action for assistance at 814-201-2285.

Once applications are filed through COMPASS, the Center for Community Action indicates that a case manager will contact the household for more information.

To receive assistance through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program 2, the Center for Community Action indicates that a household must have been impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic, be at or below 80 percent of the area’s median income and received no more than 18 months of assistance through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program 1.

The news release issued by the Center for Community Action also noted that the agency, while currently located at 1010 12th St., will be moving to 1216 Pleasant Valley Blvd. in June.

Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.