High school student tests positive for COVID

A Brown County High School student has tested positive for COVID-19, district administration announced Friday (Oct. 23) in a message to parents.

The student had not been in school since Oct. 16, Superintendent Laura Hammack reported. Close contacts to that student were being notified on Oct. 23 so that they could follow the district’s quarantine procedure, staying out of school for 14 days.

The high school was scheduled to have class in person on Monday, Oct. 26.

This is the third confirmed case associated with Brown County schools since Oct. 13. Two Brown County Junior High School teachers were the others. Both teachers were asymptomatic (not showing symptoms). As a result of those teacher cases, other teachers who had been in close contact with them were instructed to quarantine.

Rental housing assistance program now open

INDIANAPOLIS — The state’s Rental Assistance Portal is now accepting applications for the Emergency Solutions Grant CARES Act (ESG-CV) rental assistance program. It can provide eligible renters with up to 6 months in rental assistance to help cover past due and ongoing monthly rent payments. More information, including the steps for tenants to apply both online and over the phone, can be found on the top banner of the indianahousingnow.org website.

The goal is to keep individuals in stable housing so they may move through this pandemic without further future damage.

Individuals may be eligible for the program if they:

• are a renter in Indiana who lives outside of Marion County;
• have lost part of their income due to the COVID-19 pandemic;
• are having trouble paying their rent;
• are on the verge of having their lease terminated due to an inability to pay their rent;
• are currently not receiving rental assistance from another source;
• live in a household with incomes at or below 50 percent of the area median income (AMI); and
• have a current lease and a landlord willing to accept rental assistance on their behalf.

For Brown County, income limits according to household size are: $28,700 for one person, $32,800 for two, $36,900 for three, $41,000 for four, $44,300 for five, $47,600 for six, $50,850 for seven and $54,150 for eight people.

There is no minimum or maximum amount of rental assistance an eligible household can receive through the ESG-CV program. The amount of assistance will depend on the applicant’s income and financial situation.

Individuals who previously applied for assistance through the Rental Assistance Portal, whether they were approved for assistance or not, should visit indianahousingnow.org to see if they qualify for this program. They should call toll-free 1-844-463-7368 or email [email protected] to ask a representative if they need to submit a new application.

There is no application due date at this time. The Rental Assistance Portal will remain open until all available funding has been obligated to eligible households.