CUMBERLAND COUNTY, N.C. — Fayetteville and Cumberland County need more people to apply for the Rental Assistance Program, or RAP.

What You Need To Know

There's $10 million available for people who need help paying their rent and utilities

You must be a resident of Fayetteville or Cumberland County to apply

One or more individuals within the household must have qualified for unemployment benefits or experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs or experienced other financial hardship due, directly or indirectly, to the COVID-19 pandemic

The City of Fayetteville and Cumberland County were awarded American Rescue Plan funds from the U.S. Department of Treasury to launch RAP.

The RAP provides aid to households that are unable to pay rent or utilities due to economic constraints from the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We all have been impacted to some degree over the last year by COVID," said Alex Baker, community relations manager for the City of Fayetteville. "Maybe you had to stay home with the children because school was out and you didn't have childcare. Maybe you had to stay at home and isolate or quarantine."

There is $10 million available for the RAP. You must be a resident of Fayetteville or Cumberland County to apply, and one or more people in your home must have been impacted by COVID-19 in some way.

Baker says the city's goal is to get $6.5 million to the community by the end of September.

"We believe there is tremendous need," Baker said. "We know that we are in a service market where most people work in the service industry, and so, we believe we can spend this money in our community and have it turn over in our community."