On Monday (March 15), the Metropolitan Action Commission’s HOPE Portal opens to the public. The online portal which allows both renters and landlords to apply for help is located at hope.nashville.gov. All applications are submitted online. There are no paper applications.
The agency followed a three-phase process beginning with residents with pending evictions cases already filed in the Davidson County General Session Court. The second phase was uploading more than 600 applications received by Metro Action in November and December that were not able to receive assistance due to depleted funds. The last phase is the public opening of the application portal which allows Davidson County residents not in either of these categories but unable to pay their rent to apply.
With the $20.8 million that the city received from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the agency estimates the HOPE program will help over 5000 residents impacted by COVID 19 to catch up past due rent and utility payments up to 12 months behind.
“These dollars present a great opportunity to help residents recover from the financial impact of COVID 19,” said Dr. Cynthia Croom, Executive Director of the Metropolitan Action Commission.
Metro Action has a call center specifically dedicated to helping residents and landlords apply. Applicants can call 615-862-RENT (7368), Monday through Saturday from 7am until 7pm for assistance.
It is expected that an increased number of applicants will access the portal on Monday and customers seeking in-person assistance with understanding or applying for the program. In addition to the call center, the agency will have team members on-site at its main office (800 2nd Avenue North) to answer questions and on-site kiosks for applicants without computer access to receive assistance entering their information into the online portal.
In addition to accessing the portal directly by visiting hope.nashville.gov, the portal is linked from the agency’s web page (nashville.gov/mac) and the city’s one-stop portal, hubNashville (hub.nashville.gov).
This program is free to applicants. At no time should applicants pay to apply or to set up their account in Metro Action HOPE portal. Applicants should report anyone who asks for payment to the Metro Action HOPE Call Center at 615-862-RENT (7368).
This project is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number 21.023 awarded to Nashville and Davidson County by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.