Jeff Williams, a Harris County justice of the peace, had approved the eviction without Scott present in court a typical outcome in eviction cases when tenants dont show up to their hearings. Call to schedule an appointment with a legal representative. Tenants who are unable to access their existing online application may call the call center for assistance, and documentation related to existing applications may be accepted by postal mail at the following address. The state of Texas has more than one billion dollars to give out to people who need help paying their bills. On Wednesday, the head of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs took questions from lawmakers about the troubled rollout of the program. Texas Rent Relief approved her for a little over $3,100 about three months worth of rent. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribunes journalism. If you suspect fraud, waste or abuse please call (833) 61-FRAUD or (833) 613-7283. You can also get financial assistance for rent, food, and other expenses by turning to other organizations. When asked if he had a set targets for performance going forward, he said I can and I will, but that he wanted to for a couple weeks before committing to specific goals. Scott wanted to know: What happened to the rent relief money? The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) created the Texas Rent Relief program to help Texas renters pay rent and utility bills (including past due rent and utilities). Applications will be processed in the order received, prioritizing those facing evictions. For more information on returning a payment, email [email protected]. 0000098112 00000 n
The next month, their landlord started the eviction process, even though Scott, 37, had taken the rental office staffs advice and requested help from Texas $2 billion, federally backed rental assistance fund. The Apartment Association of Greater Dallas has compiled a list of state and local rental assistance programs. Prior to any payment being made to a tenant directly, TRR will make three attempts to request that the landlord participates in the program via email, phone, or text, over no less than a 5 calendar-day period. But none of that recovered money is helping tenants ousted from their homes, said Julia Ordua, Southeast Texas regional director for Texas Housers, a nonprofit low-income housing advocacy group. We've provided over $2B in emergency funds to help Texas renters pay rent and utility bills (including past due rent and utilities). 0000017510 00000 n
3/11/2021 Funding Update: $918,238,535 available To qualify for rental assistance from the Texas program, tenants had to fall below a certain income level, prove they experienced some kind of financial hardship during the pandemic and make the case that they would be at risk of losing their home if they didnt receive rent relief. According to the report, of the 176,000 people who have begun applications, just over 1,000 have had their applications approved. The program was originally launched in February 2021 and is administered by the Emergency Rental Assistance Program Funds from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, a federal effort to mitigate the affordable housing crisis exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The state has already launched a website for the program, where both landlords and tenants facing a pile of bills will be able to apply starting at 8 a.m. Monday. 0000088072 00000 n
Payment in Progress If your request has been approved Tenant and landlord, if participating, will receive email notifying of approval and, separately, to set up payment in Bill.com. *Must make an appointment. About the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. For example, the program bars landlords from accepting rent relief payments after they evict a tenant. The Texas Rent Relief Program will shut down its application portal at 5 p.m. on Friday. Exactly how many people have fallen behind on rent over the past year is unclear. QAP Alerts (MEMBERS ONLY) Disclosure: The Texas Apartment Association has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. After the software glitches, they were asked to resubmit their applications. Since the program launched in February 2021, TRR has provided over $2 billion in emergency funds for rent and utility relief, served 250 Texas counties and prevented evictions for over 21,000 households. Past due, current and up to 2 months of expected rent costs, Past due, current and up to 2 months of expected utility and home energy expenses, After the initial 3 months of current/future assistance, renters were able to apply for 3 additional months of assistance if funds were still available, If you suspect fraud, waste or abuse please call, View the Texas Rent Relief Program Dashboard (Dashboard in English), https://www.tdhca.state.tx.us/covid19-response.htm. He oversees the state's executive branch, including the housing and community affairs department. As of Feb. 17, Gates former landlord hadnt done so, Stamm said. 2401 E 6th Street, Ste 3037, PMB 153, Austin, TX 78702. Are you a Texas resident looking for affordable housing? 2021 Program Information. The State Auditors Office declined to say whether it has launched any investigations into potential fraud, waste and abuse of the program. But receiving rent relief dollars wasnt guaranteed, so some landlords filed for eviction in case the money didnt come through and as a last resort after months of going without rent, Mintz said. Interests 0000020386 00000 n
The Texas Rent Relief program was set up to help people pay their bills. As of Wednesday, the program has assisted more than 300,000 households. Executive director Bobby Wilkinson said the early days of the program delivered a bad customer experience for people, but that the issues are being fixed. And more is on the. Funds may not still be available by the time a household applies. hb``b``yX01 $J|*]gw"sq7X>6>^`hD"0Q{in00 Y? ` q
endstream
endobj
5 0 obj
<>
endobj
6 0 obj
<>/ExtGState<>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text]/XObject<>>>/Rotate 0/TrimBox[0.0 0.0 792.0 612.0]/Type/Page>>
endobj
7 0 obj
<>
endobj
8 0 obj
<>
endobj
9 0 obj
[/ICCBased 22 0 R]
endobj
10 0 obj
[/Separation/Red 9 0 R<>]
endobj
11 0 obj
<>
endobj
12 0 obj
<>stream
But the program had fixed that error, the email said. Evaluating the. Texas has nearly $692 million available through its statewide rent relief program. This interactive map and searchable database from the National Low Income Housing Coalition can be used to find state and local emergency rental assistance programs near you. I hope everyone gets the assistance that they need. Tirloni said the agency doesnt track what portion of those clawed-back funds came from landlords found to have improperly evicted their tenants after receiving assistance or categorize what scenarios would result in recapturing the money. This time period has been shortened based on direction from the Department of Treasury. 4 45
As the tenant was evicted from the unit associated with this application, pursuant to program policies, rental arrears are only approved for the time period the tenant was in the unit, the email reads. 0000032455 00000 n
The fund is designed to provide rent relief for renters experiencing financial hardship. 0000012097 00000 n
Housing advocates acknowledge the challenges of standing up such a massive program, but Christina Rosales from the group Texas Housers said theres a larger issue at play here: As a state, Texas regularly fails to focus its vast resources on helping people in the midst of a disaster. The Tribune contacted government agencies involved in the program and found that none of them including the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, which runs the state rent relief program track how often this happens. This guide is updated to reflect information pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic. Landlord associated with the application will receive an email notification of . The federal government and the state of Texas both had people like Scott and her family in mind when they hurriedly created a safety net for struggling renters amid the COVID-19 pandemic. You cant have it both ways with Texas Rent Relief, Stamm said. Her former landlord had taken the rent relief funds after they evicted her. To help with emergency housing needs, HAP has two components: rental assistance and relocation assistance for qualified households facing housing instability. "To date, Texas Rent Relief has served . If you owe unpaid rent or utilities, that amount will be paid in one lump sum within 10 business days of your final approval. Perhaps it goes without saying but producing quality journalism isn't cheap. The morning of her March 18 eviction hearing, a Texas Rent Relief staffer told Johnson that her landlord had cashed the check two days earlier and gave her the check number. If your landlord breaks their agreement with the Texas Rent Relief program, you may file a complaint with the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. "I urge qualifying households to apply for this program once applications open on February 15th. The first payment never came because they had a Covid outbreak. Altogether, about $2 billion of the federal rental and utility assistance funds approved by Congress last year were earmarked for Texas. Applications can be also made . In our view, the judge made a mistake letting the trial proceed as soon as [the property manager] confirmed that the owner had a pending application for rental assistance, Stamm said in an email. There have been nearly 50,000 eviction filings in Houston since the beginning of the pandemic. Perhaps it goes without saying but producing quality journalism isn't cheap. Have you subscribed to our free weekly newsletter? Prior to 2019, there was often confusion about what counted as a "reasonable" late fee. Prior to any payment being made to a tenant directly, TRR will make three attempts to request that the landlord participates in the program via email, phone, or text, over no less than a 5 calendar-day period. Texas Coronavirus Relief Bill Rental Assistance Program administered by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. The rent relief checks cleared RDRHs bank account on Feb. 4 less than two weeks after Gates was evicted. To a question about whether the application website is mobile-friendly, he replied, its mobile-compatible. ;+h-WZXi
ZrzOK4-X6~PR,JtV J5G! The program has emergency funds available to help Texas renters pay rent and utility bills (including past due rent and utilities). Most went into the statewide Texas Rent Relief program, and the rest when to city and county governments. Weeks after her eviction, Scott received an email from Texas Rent Relief on Nov. 9 acknowledging that it had initially sent the check to the wrong address. Print Feedback. First-time TRR applicants may be eligible for up to 18 months of rent and utility bill assistance, either with past due payments or a combination of past due and up to three months of current and future payments made on their behalf. A free legal hotline available to South Texas residents. Food + Drink All applications will be processed in the order they are received, giving priority to those households facing evictions. Since their October eviction from their Katy apartment, Scott and her four children have lived in hotels and other temporary settings. 0000098050 00000 n
As much as we work to mitigate human error, the potential for application errors exists. For households who applied directly for unpaid or future rent or utilities. We believe owners have done their best to try to understand the intricacies of the program and comply with its requirements, Mintz said. Also, the application status in the Neighborly system will be updated when the payment has been made. All those folks acted in good faith on something that we offered them, that theyre by definition entitled toand by some sort of error, theyre not getting the relief that they need, and then the state Supreme Court let its rules around the eviction moratorium lapse, Bernal said. Stephanie Gates also thought the state rent relief program would save her from an eviction. Houston, TX 77258. Approval Notification: The landlord, tenant, and/or utility provider will now be notified automatically that a payment has been approved if an email address is present in the Neighborly system, and the notification will include the payment breakout. The program application now allows these applicants to self-attest to their household income, meeting program requirements instead of uploading income documentation. Returning applicants who have not received the maximum allowed 18 months of assistance for rent and/or utility bills can submit an Additional Funding Request via their existing online user account. 2023 Local Profile is a registered trademark of Community Profile LLC. We continue to see a strong need for assistance, and eviction filings statewide have now returned to pre-pandemic levels. Utility Payment Program Provides assistance to eligible Texas homeowners with qualified hardships to pay past due utility bills and up to three (3) months of prospective payments. Shes focused on finding a new place for her and her seven children to live. Payment in Process Good news! Here we are at the beginning of April and still only about 200 Texas families have actually received direct help from this billion dollar program, which is unacceptable, and we need to continue to get this worked out quickly, committee chair state Rep. Philip Cortez, a San Antonio Democrat, told Texas Public Radio. You can also call the TDHCA's fraud hotline if you think your landlord may be mishandling the funds: (833) 61-FRAUD or (833) 613-7283. The property manager quickly confirmed that they had and Jasso tossed the eviction. Tenant applicants who have received a notice of utility disconnection are now prioritized for application review similarly to those applicants being sued for eviction. Scott and her husband had fallen behind on rent in June after Scott stopped working to take care of her youngest daughter, who has Down syndrome, and the medical bills piled up.