KXLY December 29, 2020 10:05 PM Alex Crescenti Updated: SPOKANE, Wash. — Of the $900 billion COVID-19 relief package passed through congress, $25 billion will go towards rental assistance. In Spokane, the burden was already high before the pandemic began. According to the Spokane Workforce Council, 25% of renters were paying 50% of their income towards rent each month before the pandemic even began. Now that the latest COVID relief package passed, there is help on the way, but there is still much uncertainty about the future. “People are hurting right now,” said Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris. When the first COVID relief package was released, Matt Mettke and the Spokane Workforce Council were able to allocate $2 million across 800 households. They helped pay for rent and utilities. Many people who needed help were from the service industry which is still struggling under COVID restrictions.