FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Washington County has received over $1.7 million in additional Emergency Rental Assistance 2 (ERA 2) funds from the U.S. Treasury.

According to a press release from Washington County Judge Joseph Wood, the county will resume payments for rent and utility assistance on April 21. Washington County received $1,701,407.13 in total.

Financial assistance for participants in the ERA 2 program, which is individuals that began receiving assistance in 2021, will be limited to two months, March and April.

The release states that assistance for participants in the ERA 1 program will remain limited to three months. All approvals for rent and utility assistance are subject to available funds.

Washington County had previously stopped accepting applications on Friday, March 25.

Clint Schnekloth, pastor at Good Shepard Lutheran Church, has been helping multiple families who have been waiting on assistance. He said the $1.7 million is a good step, but more needs to be done to help the renters.

“They need to cover the costs that they created by this delay, so a lot of people had late fees, some landlords charge daily, late fees,” Schnekloth said.

Hawley Woods was one of the renters who was approved for the funds but didn’t get it for March or April rents because the county ran out. She said she’s grateful for the money and is cautiously optimistic. She doesn’t want to get her hopes up for the money and then not get it, which is what happened earlier in April.

“Once something happens and you can’t depend on it, when you were told you could then I’m not really counting on it,” Woods said. “I’m going to do everything and pretend that money is not coming because I don’t feel that I can know that it is.”

Earlier this week, a resolution that would have provided millions of dollars to help renters died in the Washington County Finance and Budget Committee meeting.

Since the county began the program, approximately 4,000 applications have been received and nearly 3,659 applications have been approved for some kind of assistance, according to the release.

Washington County has disbursed approximately $10,500,000.