City of Clovis to Extend Clovis Families with Mortgage/Rental/Utility/Child Care Assistance in Partnership with EPCOG

The City of Clovis, in partnership with Eastern Plains Council of Governments, have extended assistance to Clovis families impacted by COVID-19 with mortgage/rental/utility and child care assistance under the local government CARES Act funding that is being provided by the State of New Mexico. The City of Clovis applied for grant assistance and was awarded the grant by the State of New Mexico- Local Government Division under the Department of Finance and Administration.

On March 27, 2020, the CARES Act was enacted for the State of New Mexico. Funding assistance will be available for expenses incurred between March 1, 2020, and December 30, 2020. The State of New Mexico is providing coronavirus aid relief funds to reimburse costs for expenses due to COVID-19.

Eastern Plains Council of Governments (EPCOG) will continue to administer the grant assistance under an agreement with the City of Clovis. EPCOG represents seven (7) counties and their twenty-two (22) incorporated communities, which includes the City of Clovis as a member community. EPCOG is an organization of, by, and for local governments and was established in 1972 to assist in planning for common needs and coordinating for sound regional development.

EPCOG will continue to administer the grant for those families that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act provides that payments from the fund may only be used to cover costs that are necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency concerning the coronavirus disease. 62 applications were processed in the amount of $48,879.27 The most requested for assistance was rental/mortgage $30,709.55 followed by electric utility assistance $7,602.27, water payment $2,392.74, Childcare assistance $2,000.00, NM Gas assistance $1,174.71. A lot of applications were being turned in with very little information without the required documents.

The CARES Act application will be available during the month of November. Clovis residents will need to visit the Eastern Plains Council of Governments’ website, www.epcog.org, for the application, or they may call (575) 762-7714 and ask for Mary Gray or Raymond Mondragon. For those who do not have online access, please call the EPCOG offices for an appointment, and they will assist with the application process. Please read page 3 of the required documents to process your application.