CLARK COUNTY, Wash. — Four hundred rental assistance applications opened in Clark County, Washington on Wednesday, and all of them were taken within thirty minutes.
Sunny Wonder, who works with the Counsel For The Homeless, said the need is far greater than the amount of applications that were given out on Wednesday.
"It's very important to find a balance in providing openings so that folks are able to access the service to get on the rental assistance list," she said. "Also making sure we're not just adding them with no plan in the future on contacting them."
A total of $700,000 in rental assistance is given out to 90 households each week, according to officials. The amount of money a renter can receive depends on their household's situation. The program covers up to twelve months of assistance. The renter or the landlord can apply and applicants have to provide their address and the amount of rent they owe.
RELATED: Clark County to make 400 applications for first-time rent assistance available Wednesday at 6 p.m.
"It's our friends and neighbors," Wonder said. "It is the people who have perhaps never been in this situation before."
Clark County resident Cayte applied for rental assistance about a month ago and was approved. She was six months behind on her rent and had underlying health issues which made her job as a cashier dangerous. She eventually lost her job earlier this year.
"We don't have the funds to have covered all of that," she said. "Our family and extended family doesn't have that kind of money. We could very well be in a hotel, or couch surfing with animals and a toddler."
The next set of applications will come out on January 5th. Households can only get assistance once, and officials are asking people to only apply one time. More information is available on the Council For The Homeless website, or by calling 360-695-9677.