Eligibility: For anyone who currently rents in the United States and resides in any of the properties Esusu works with. And only 250 of payments have been sent. Mar 1, 2023. events. Yet they still pushed us out.. That happens even when tenants win their eviction cases in court. Under the program rules, landlords are allowed to evict only in specific situations, such as lease violations related to criminal activity, property damage or physical harm to others, Mintz pointed out. KERA also reached out to Gov. endobj In these cases, payments will be made directly to the tenant, who then is required to pay the landlord. 0000002471 00000 n I am amazed at the strength and resilience that these folks have to figure out how to get on the internet, when they dont have internet at home, and their resourcefulness in getting rent relief at this point, she said. When tickets go on sale in May, Tribune members will save big. He took the car, which made it difficult for Scott to hunt for work and shelter. Are you a Texas resident looking for affordable housing? Reporting: On February 15, 2023 Treasury released ERA1 & ERA2 Quarterly Demographic Data for Q1 2021 through Q3 2022; January 2023. Greg Abbott for comment on the report. The statewide program doled out more than $1.2 billion to 212,344 households. The State Auditors Office declined to say whether it has launched any investigations into potential fraud, waste and abuse of the program. I trusted them, Scott said. "The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a significant financial strain on many Texans, and the Texas Rent Relief Program will provide an incredible lifeline to households in need of assistance on their rent and utility payments," said Governor Abbott. Since February the state of Texas has paid landlords more than one billion dollars for tenants who can't afford to pay rent. Policy and Regulatory Updates (MEMBERS ONLY) The following provides performance of the Texas Rent Relief Program, as of May 12, 2021: More than $110 million has been paid or is in the process of being paid. Advocacy Alerts Im sitting thinking, My rents paid, OK, all I have to worry about is December and January, Gates said. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on members to help keep our stories free and our events open to the public. 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. Evaluating the. Landlords who received rent relief dollars cant evict tenants for any reason related to rent or fees during the time period covered by the funds, according to the program requirements. They can visit https://texaslawhelp.org/eviction-referral or call 855-270-7655 for help understanding their options and to seek free or low-cost legal assistance. As of July 26, more than 95,000 households have received assistance from the Texas Rent Relief Program, and almost $600 million in relief has been paid out, according to the TDHCA. Tenants who are requesting AFR and have remained in the same unit as their original request and for whom the months of assistance requested as part of the AFR are outside of the term for the lease submitted with the tenants initial application (including if the lease is now month-to-month), or if the tenant did not provide a lease as part of their initial application, verbal confirmation with the tenant or landlord to confirm the tenant is still in the unit is acceptable proof of tenancy. The landlord applies for rent relief, or 2. The TDHCA runs the Texas Rent Relief program. Housing experts say they expect expiration of the eviction rules will make the already spotty protections of the eviction moratorium even more unevenly applied. Print Feedback. Hosted every Wednesday, at 6:30 p.m., by the. Texans shouldnt have to overcome so many bureaucratic and technological challenges just to get help that Congress already funded, Rosales said. Disclosure: The Texas Apartment Association has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. x]s6(4A y;4N}PmT\INvB/$( Cities and counties that operate local rental assistance programs have $368 million. Lifestyle Eligibility for all applicants who have not yet received the maximum amount of 15 months of assistance will receive an email invitation to submit an additional request for assistance 60 days after their previous payment was disbursed. Late fees over 12% of your monthly rent (10% for properties with more than four units) are unreasonable. 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. HWmo6_qf&..WVmFJ=GRIOtK^Sq|}"SiSm%S@xS|,NXAC,g uW,,myVH!eMJA^Te**gNx7{uFw vW\uMru JWMu;C,^NJvgVt>(,Y*-.=-zq5t:ATi:w#GG7/V=ohM{3wi5omHo;lpFEMBL%%-P|=fsWv@>f;&X6gji#~L8Uhg JVt`E\L+@j8J:,acf)#--iU)'bc/s/PK3d JC#p0;~mY>VORqiK:JOFrPTgfF:*c! Wilkinson said many people who tried to apply may need to go back and take extra steps to complete the application. The public is also invited to share such concerns. But the tenants are still the ones holding the bag.. 0000014023 00000 n Interests V o l . To request this information, please contact us toll-free at 833-9TX-RENT (833-989-7368). It is kind of a miracle that they are able to do it.. The fund is designed to provide rent relief for renters experiencing financial hardship. Applicants must still provide all other required program documentation and must provide evidence of the notice of utility disconnection. The idea of landlords taking rent relief dollars and still evicting tenants is outrageous, she said, and could warrant investigation. Eviction Intervention Program For Renters If you live within Harris County or Houston city limits and your landlord has already taken you to court for eviction, you may be eligible for eviction intervention rental assistance through the Houston-Harris County Emergency Rental Assistance Program. Show us with your support. 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. <> Landlord associated with the application will receive an email notification of . Even if the rent relief check was in hand, it wouldnt have covered the amount sought by the landlord, Musselman said. 2 '.&& ,f1. There have been nearly 50,000 eviction filings in Houston since the beginning of the pandemic. 2. While hes cautiously optimistic that the Texas Rent Relief programs problems have largely been addressed, fundamental questions remain unanswered. Attempts to reach the property owner RDRH Holdings Inc., an Austin-based corporation and its president were unsuccessful. 0000008211 00000 n 4 45 0000088009 00000 n The Texas Homeowner Assistance Fund Program (TXHAF) provides financial assistance to qualified Texas homeowners who have fallen behind on their mortgage and related expenses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After submitting, applicants should watch for communication from TRR in case additional information is needed for application. "To date, Texas Rent Relief has served . Documentation of Lease: Tenants who are requesting AFR to pay for rent at a new unit must provide a copy of their new lease. While many have gone back to work, the unemployment rate remains significantly higher than it was before the pandemic. About the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Our Legal Help guide has information on free legal hotlines, legal clinics, and legal aid organizations, as well as information on how to find a lawyer who could represent you. Questions? The landlord submits any information or documentation to receive payment as part of a rent relief program. rental assistance programs, totaling $46.55 billion. If a landlord is not paid, the payment will be made directly to the tenant. Maybe the money will be returned to Treasury and the wrong will be righted for the government, Ordua said. 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. Let the judge know if any of these things have happened. Job Listings 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. 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. your Phone number -Specify Landlord or tenant rental assistance. Less than two weeks after Gates eviction, she spotted something in her online account with the rent relief program: A pair of checks totaling $12,650 had cleared the property owners bank account. Her former landlord had taken the rent relief funds after they evicted her. All past-due rent and utilities (back to March 13, 2020) will be paid first. Need to stay updated on coronavirus news in Texas? 0000023877 00000 n Approvals have. Of the maximum $65,000 available per household, up to $10,000 can be used for utility assistance (inclusive of past due balance and prospective assistance). The TRR program will be accepting online applications from March 14 to 28, providing aid with rent and utility bills for up to 18 months for first-time applicants. Texas Tech To Host Art Gallery. As of August 11, 2021, TRR has paid over $658 million in rent and utility assistance to assist over 107,000 households, and funding is still available. Info about the decision to end the program and eviction diversion is included as well. The Texas Rent Relief Program will shut down its application portal at 5 p.m. on Friday. . The states leadership shouldve been prepared to get money out to struggling renters as soon as Congress approved the funding, Rosales said, but instead have focused on their own political interests. If you suspect fraud, waste or abuse please call (833) 61-FRAUD or (833) 613-7283. We have more than $1 million of unpaid rent dating back to March of last year, said Ian Mattingly, president of LumaCorp, which manages about 7,000 rental apartments in Texas. It hurts, that really hurts. Texas closed the rent relief program to new applicants in November, citing overwhelming demand for rental assistance dollars. But Musselman expressed sympathy for the landlord, noting that they had gone 11 months without rent from Gates. 0000010218 00000 n For the past year, housing advocates have been pointing to the slow-rolling housing crisis brought on by the pandemic. At a time when newsroom resources and revenue across the country are declining, The Texas Tribune remains committed to sustaining our mission: creating a more engaged and informed Texas with every story we cover, every event we convene and every newsletter we send. 0000030653 00000 n The first payment never came because they had a Covid outbreak. As of last week, $20.1 million in rent relief has been recaptured, TDHCA spokesperson Kristina Tirloni said, adding that not all of that was connected to allegations of fraud, waste or abuse. Our vision is to inspire and engage our members and stakeholders to end the affordable housing crisis in Texas. Mattingly said more than 400 of his companys residents have tried to apply to the program. Even if the programs software and staffing struggles have been addressed, Rosales still worries that the programs reliance on online applications will leave eligible renters unable to apply. After the software glitches, they were asked to resubmit their applications. 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. The program was originally launched in February 2021 and is administered by the . Member Grand Openings (MEMBERS ONLY) Faced with a pot of federal money larger than the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs' annual budget, the state agency contracted Houston-based management consultancy Horne LLP to run the Texas Rent Relief program, agreeing to pay the company more than $42 million. But housing advocates and lawyers who represent tenants facing eviction say they routinely see cases of Texas landlords accepting thousands of dollars from the government and evicting the tenants the money was intended to help. by Christopher Connelly, KERA News The TRR portal will accept new applications starting Tuesday, March 14 at 8 a.m. CT through Tuesday, March 28 at 11:59 p.m. CT, to help eligible households with . Librarians at the State Law Library can provide information about the law, but cannot give legal advice. 2021 Program Information. ) It turns out the state program had sent the check in September to the wrong address. Eligible households can apply online or over the phone for first-time or additional program assistance. endobj The same day, her landlord told Johnson her lease wouldnt be renewed when it expired the following week, she said. Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. :>W:lfD;)SHK(r$Iy2lj\*vj-Wf8+GfJs &Xsua9fqsJYKk~(FbD*fwG[VEiG]e29^Qv($6,9arts1y$ GS?u(-4Wc-J(,_@&U Women In Business. We've provided over $2B in emergency funds to help Texas renters pay rent and utility bills (including past due rent and utilities).

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