Nebraska
Rent aid program for needy Nebraskans “on track,” with much of the $48M still available • Nebraska Examiner
LINCOLN — A once-controversial emergency rent aid program has distributed about $11 million to eligible Nebraskans, leaving more than three-quarters of $48 million available following its September launch.
Except for a funding bottleneck at the beginning, administrators are pleased with the rollout of the latest round of pandemic-related Nebraska Emergency Rental Assistance, said Shannon Harner, executive director of the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority.
“We’re pretty happy,” said Harner, whose NIFA team is leading the ERA II effort. “The flow of getting funds out continues to speed up. That is also positive.”
Given that the federally-provided funding had been shut off for a year, pent-up demand led to some challenges early on, Harner said. Extra staffing helped get the process to a better pace and smoother disbursement of funds, she said.
Since late September, about 1,800 applicants who represent almost all of Nebraska’s 91 smaller, more rural counties have received funding, according to an update provided by NIFA.
Renters in the state’s largest two counties of Douglas and Lancaster are not eligible for this pool of funds, but each of those counties was able to apply for and distribute its own ERA aid.
Overall, the average amount of assistance delivered to households in the eligible counties has been about $6,262. Sarpy County has had the most participants.
The bulk of financial help has been directed at rent — about $7 million for past-due bills and $3.8 million for future payments. However, a slice also has gone toward utilities and to help renters catch up on overdue internet bills.
Harner said that NIFA and its “community collaborative partners” have been working diligently to distribute the emergency aid to households who prove they had financial hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We understand the relief and stability this program has provided to so many families across the state, and we continue to encourage anyone who believes they may qualify to apply,” she said.
Under program guidelines, funds are to be distributed until they run out or until September 2025, and they do not have to be paid back.
NIFA’s hope, Harner said, is to get at least 75% of the $48 million spent by the year’s end. “We believe we are on track,” she said.
Once that 75% point is reached, she said, the program guidelines allow remaining funds to be directed toward building affordable housing.
“We look at that as having a better long-term impact,” said Harner.
She said it was too early to know how many dwellings might be created or in what form they would be built.
But she said it was likely such remaining dollars would be directed toward the low-income housing tax credit program administered by NIFA.
A sample of representatives who work with low-income families across the state said this ERA II process has gone smoother, especially in comparison with the previous one.
Many advocates, renters and landlords had voiced complaints to lawmakers and state officials about the management of the first round of emergency rental aid to the 91 counties.
They said the previous contractor, Deloitte, an audit and financial services firm, had created a cumbersome online application process that kept many needy Nebraskans from accessing the aid.
Low participation rate was among reasons cited by then-Gov. Pete Ricketts when he refused to tap the second round of rent aid dollars that the federal government had set aside for the 91 Nebraska counties. Ricketts said that the pandemic was over and that Nebraska should guard against becoming a “welfare state.”
State lawmakers stepped in but the Legislature fell one vote short of overriding a gubernatorial veto on a bill that would have forced Ricketts’ hand in accepting the aid.
Gov. Jim Pillen, after he was elected, bucked Ricketts’ stance and accepted what was left of the original $120 million that was to go to the state’s 91 smaller counties. By then, certain deadlines had been missed, and much of the original allocation went back to the federal government and was redirected to other states.
NIFA was tapped to lead the second ERA phase — which Harner said will be the last tranche for those American Rescue Plan Act emergency rental and utility funds.
Tanya Gifford of Lift Up Sarpy County said she has seen improvement in the program after early sluggishness in getting the rental aid distributed.
“It started out bumpy. They were obviously not staffed adequately,” she said of the call center.
Now, Gifford said, clients are seeing a three- to four-week processing time, which she said is fair.
NIFA officials, she said, have been “super responsive.”
Araceli Santos-Ayala of the McCook area Community Action Partnership of Mid-Nebraska said most landlords she has dealt with have been patient. The landlords must participate, and are the receivers of the rent aid.
“We might have a hiccup here or there — but knowing there is someone to email, ask questions of or get clarification is great,” she said. “I haven’t had anybody get denied at this point. I tell them it can take time and try to ease them by explaining the process.”
Harner said fraudulent applications also have slowed the process at times. Most have been discovered prior to money being disbursed, so not many applicants have been turned over to the state authorities, she said.
Sandy Nation is a housing advocate who assists ERA applicants in northeast Nebraska.
“The ERA program has helped so many families get past a really difficult time, especially in rural communities where housing is in short supply,” Nation said.
“I’ve spoken to people who think they may not qualify, but I always say, you don’t know unless you apply, Nation said. “The ability to get caught up on past-due payments and build a cushion for future needs relieves a lot of stress and provides a sense of stability.”
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On this week’s Saturday Morning Coffee Show, Josh Peterson and Jack Mitchell discussed Nebraska men’s basketball’s loss to Rutgers, the upcoming stretch of games, and how the team can come out of things in a better spot.
Below is a lightly edited transcript of their conversation on the podcast.
Josh: That was supposed to be the win and to play like they did, to get to go down at the half and the second half, it just had that sense of dread, the entire second half. The entire second half was full of dread.
Jack: But do you remember after the Rutgers game last year, where I thought Juwan Gary tore his Achilles tendon, of course, and that was a bad spot. Don’t you remember how they played in that game? They just got like physically destroyed by a different, very different Rutgers team then. I mailed that season in at that point, and it got better. So, there’ll still be some good moments, but the schedule is weird because the road games. They’re still such underdogs in these road games. Like they would go, I don’t expect them to, but if they would go get a win against Maryland tomorrow, it basically, everything’s erased. Everything’s back to where it was three games ago, at least resume-wise.
Josh: Or if they lose, it’s suddenly four straight and another road loss…
Jack: The USC is the one, the USC is the one that, in Lincoln, is the one that could derail the season.
Josh: Well, you and I talked about that when you filled in a week ago yesterday, right? Where if they don’t pick up any of these road wins, it’s gonna put so much pressure on the USC game. And now, Jack, I would say that pressure is already there, but now there is gonna be some pressure on the home games, given that they just lost to Rutgers.
To see more, watch the video below! And for access to the entire conversation, consider becoming a member of the I-80 Club today! Do so at patreon.com/I80Club.
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Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.
Maryland men’s basketball is coming off a heartbreaking loss to Northwestern, as Nick Martinelli drained a buzzer-beater for the win at the end of overtime. Point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie twice tied the contest — with six seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and in overtime — but it wasn’t enough to propel the Terps, who are now 0-4 on the road.
Maryland now turns its attention to a program currently on a losing skid: Nebraska.
The Cornhuskers are on a three-game losing streak, most recently suffering a three-point loss to Rutgers, in which freshman phenoms Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper scored 24 and 21 points respectively. Nebraska also lost to then-No. 20 Purdue and Iowa. Its best wins of the season came over Creighton, UCLA and Indiana.
Sunday’s game will begin at noon and air on Big Ten Network.
Nebraska Cornhuskers (12-5, 2-4)
2023-24 record: 23-11, 12-8 Big Ten
Head coach Fred Hoiberg is in his sixth season at the helm of Nebraska men’s basketball. Last season, he helped the Cornhuskers to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2014.
Prior to his time in Lincoln, Nebraska, Hoiberg spent three full seasons as head coach of the Chicago Bulls, where he made the playoffs once and won more than 40 games in two seasons. He also guided Iowa State to a 115-56 record in his five seasons as its head coach.
Players to watch
Brice Williams, senior guard, 6-foot-7, No. 3 — Not only is Williams a mismatch for Maryland with his towering height, he’s also one of the most prolific offensive threats in the Big Ten. He averages 18.9 points per game, good for fifth in the conference. He’s also second on the team with 2.5 assists per game.
Juwan Gary, senior forward, 6-foot-6, No. 4 — Gary is Nebraska’s second-leading scorer, averaging 12.1 points per game. He’s also one of the team’s best defensive players, as he ranks second in both steals (22) and blocks (9). Gary has started every game for the Cornhuskers this season.
Connor Essegian, junior guard, 6-foot-4, No. 0 — Essegian is Nebraska’s third-leading scorer, averaging 11.6 points per game. He has played in all 17 games this season, but has started just three. He leads the team in 3-point percentage, shooting 40.7% from downtown.
Strength
Not fouling. Nebraska, like Maryland, has done a good job so far this season at not fouling. It is tied with the Terps for the third-fewest personal fouls per game in the Big Ten.
Weakness
Turnovers. The Cornhuskers give the ball away the third most in the Big Ten, with 12.2 turnovers per game. They also have the second-worst assist-to-turnover ratio in the conference at 1.13.
Three things to watch
1. Can Derik Queen bounce back? Queen has had an up-and-down slate of Big Ten games. After impressing against Minnesota, he faltered against Northwestern, posting just nine points and undergoing multiple defensive lapses. Whether or not he returns to form against Nebraska will be worthy of note.
2. Can the Terps close late? While it won a relatively tight game against Minnesota, late finishes against then-No. 9 Oregon, Minnesota and Northwestern did not go the Terps’ way. Sunday’s game projects to be another close contest, and Maryland needs to prove it can win if the game comes down to the final few possessions.
3. Can Maryland match up with Nebraska’s guards? The Terps had some trouble against Northwestern’s 6-foot-6 guard Brooks Barnhizer, who scored 20 points. With Williams and Essegian standing at 6-foot-7 and 6-foot-4, respectively, Maryland will be faced with a similar challenge.
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — An Amazon Prime semitrailer collided with a train Friday morning in southeast Nebraska, spilling packages on the side of the road.
It happened about 8:30 a.m. on Highway 75 in Dawson, which is 20 miles northwest of Falls City, according to the Richardson County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office said the semi collided with a maintenance train, causing the trailer to hit a vehicle that was waiting for the train to pass.
The driver of that vehicle was taken to a hospital, then released.
Authorities said no other injuries were reported.
The semi driver was ticketed for multiple offenses, according to the sheriff’s office.
A photo posted on social media showed damage to the trailer and boxes strewn on the ground.
Highway 75 was closed for several hours during the investigation and cleanup.
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