Cherice Scotts son, 6-year-old Teegan McKinney, plays at a park in Houston. The Texas Rent Relief program was set up to help people pay their bills. But none of the agencies contacted by the Tribune would say whether any landlord has been credibly accused of taking rent relief money and improperly ousting their tenants, or whether they have imposed penalties on landlords for doing so. I am being evicted for not paying rent. Do you value our journalism? A free legal hotline available to South Texas residents. 30j($>H&L&Q.]Ky,YIR _I@*v+ Cities and counties that operate local rental assistance programs have $368 million. Mattingly said more than 400 of his companys residents have tried to apply to the program. 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. Best of luck to you and anyone needing this assistance. "I urge qualifying households to apply for this program once applications open on February 15th. As much as we work to mitigate human error, the potential for application errors exists. According to the report, of the 176,000 people who have begun applications, just over 1,000 have had their applications approved. Starting October 10, 2022, all new utility assistance payments are issued directly to the tenant to ensure timely and accurate utility assistance payments. While hes cautiously optimistic that the Texas Rent Relief programs problems have largely been addressed, fundamental questions remain unanswered. On January 24,2023, Treasury released the reallocation amounts for ERA2 Quarter 2 General Pool Reallocation and Designated Voluntary Reallocations; Guidance: On January 5, 2023 Treasury published an updated version of the ERA1 . Postal Mail: By the end of March, only 250 people had actually got help paying for rent out of. They told her there was no way to see if they had received it, she said. In those cases, the check was initially sent to the wrong property and only arrived after the tenant was kicked out. The Texas Rent Relief Program provides emergency funds available to help Texas renters pay rent and utility bills (including past due rent and utilities). 0000026104 00000 n 8. r.t)gfv9~;Y>)?4{(gbx|/Ipv.8|0a(#0`~GhFc=pxr1{YpG0 Librarians at the State Law Library can provide information about the law, but cannot give legal advice. The industry standard here is fraud, said Stuart Campbell, managing attorney at Dallas Eviction Advocacy Center, speaking generally about instances in which landlords receive rent relief funds and evict tenants. Texas received more than $2 billion out of the American Rescue Plan Act, the $1.9 trillion federal stimulus package President Joe Biden signed into law last year, to set up the Texas Rent Relief program, designed to help such families stay in their homes as the pandemic triggered a tsunami of business closures and hundreds of thousands of layoffs. To a question about whether the application website is mobile-friendly, he replied, its mobile-compatible. :>W:lfD;)SHK(r$Iy2lj\*vj-Wf8+GfJs &Xsua9fqsJYKk~(FbD*fwG[VEiG]e29^Qv($6,9arts1y$ GS?u(-4Wc-J(,_@&U An employee at the apartment complex, Crestshire Village Apartments, declined to comment. This news article provides an overview of the Texas Public Utilities Commission's recent order and how it will affect customers in Texas. TDHCA operates the state hotline where complaints originate. In order to receive federal rent relief funds through the state, landlords had to sign an agreement that forbids them from evicting tenants for nonpayment during the time period covered by the assistance. Find a complete list of them here. 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. 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. About the Texas Rent Relief Program Both landlords and tenants were able to use this website to create an account and submit their application. In her case, the check arrived in time but went to the wrong place. When the pandemic hit last year, millions of people across the country lost wages after they were laid off, furloughed or saw work hours cut. Advocacy Alerts If you need assistance with a previously submitted application, our customer service staff can assist you by phone by calling 1-833-9TX-RENT (1-833-989-7368). That makes removing barriers to helping families catch up on the rent even more vital, Rosales said. When Congress set aside more than $46 billion for emergency rental assistance, they intended for that money to keep people in their homes, said U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, a Democrat from Houston. 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. Monday-Friday 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. CST Help is available in multiple languages. 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. Mattingly also heads the Dallas Apartment Association, which represents landlords. 1001 provides, among other things, that whoever knowingly and willingly makes or uses a document or writing containing any false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or entry, in any matter within the jurisdiction of any department or agency of the United States will be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned for not more than five years, or both. Education / Webinars Funds may not still be available by the time a household applies. Software problems left the program struggling and spotty, with tenants and landlords complaining of accessibility problems, unanswered phone calls and the inability to check the status of an application, according to the report. Northwest Assistance Ministries: 281-583-5600. TXHAF provides eligible homeowners with . The more I sit here and think about it, I just know to just go ahead and do what I need to do, Johnson said. When Cherice Scott received a notice last September that she, her husband and their four children would soon be kicked out of their Katy apartment, she said employees at the complex told her not to worry about it. We cant wait to welcome you in person and online to the 2022 Texas Tribune Festival, our multiday celebration of big, bold ideas about politics, public policy and the days news all taking place just steps away from the Texas Capitol from Sept. 22-24. Whoops! All Rights Reserved. Failure to respond would only delay the application process. After the software glitches, they were asked to resubmit their applications. TXHAF is administered by TDHCA with funding provided under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Info about the decision to end the program and eviction diversion is included as well. April 8, 2022 ) 0000002471 00000 n In late March she started a new job teaching at an early learning center. 2401 E 6th Street, Ste 3037, PMB 153, Austin, TX 78702. Questions? The public is also invited to share such concerns. Then in December, the property owner filed an eviction case against Gates and gave her a notice to vacate. 0000002022 00000 n 2n -.-&) 1 1 Applications can be also made . an apparent violation of the programs requirements for landlords, survey gauging how the end of a federal moratorium on evictions was affecting tenants. Texas' rent relief program has been plagued by problems that slow payments and could prompt evictions According to a legislative report, of the 176,000 people who have begun applications. The State Auditors Office declined to say whether it has launched any investigations into potential fraud, waste and abuse of the program. A Texas rent relief program has been plagued by problems. She said she has spent thousands of dollars on application fees to at least 10 homes and apartment complexes and all of them have denied her because she now has an eviction on her record. 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. Many people, especially women, have been unable to work because of child care responsibilities. TDHCA announced that they would be accepting new applications in March of 2023 to distribute the remaining funds. 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). Researchers have offered estimates of past-due rent in the U.S. ranging from $8.4 billion to $52.6 billion. The property manager quickly confirmed that they had and Jasso tossed the eviction. Food + Drink Weve had to handhold our residents through these various processes, obtaining the correct documentation, helping them with scanning, Mattingly was told by one landlord. This tool helps find state and local rent and utility assistance near your location. For Landlords who applied for unpaid or future rent on behalf of tenants. This interactive map and searchable database from the National Low Income Housing Coalition can be used to find state and local emergency rental assistance programs near you. Rental assistance payments will generally be made directly to landlords participating in the program, unless they cannot be reached, their relationship with the tenant application cannot be established in a timely manner, or they do not agree to accept the payment. Many landlords have tried to work with their tenants to try to avoid evictions for back rent during the pandemic, said David Mintz, vice president of government affairs for Texas Apartment Association, a trade group of rental property owners. 4 0 obj ?$.#jq&LS1-b'u)N 2@x{'Y( V7\T ;z6!EDg"AGbDdWo,/si,TZp em;82os"zrD QV~ns+8ce1|NV ;H@>I]\IjA $_BM (2`n,e072 #q9u_)&er&s9%\!_kE\^9, Perhaps it goes without saying but producing quality journalism isn't cheap. This story has been updated to include comments from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. At the federal level, that job falls to the U.S. Treasury Departments Office of Inspector General. How are we doing? Show us with your support. Altogether, about $2 billion of the federal rental and utility assistance funds approved by Congress last year were earmarked for Texas. Applications to the relief program can be submitted beginning March 14. For the past year, housing advocates have been pointing to the slow-rolling housing crisis brought on by the pandemic. Policy and Regulatory Updates (MEMBERS ONLY) The reallocation process only applies to duplicate payments between our program and Texas Rent Relief. If you or someone you know still needs help with the rent relief process or pending eviction, you can apply for free legal help at https://www.lonestarlegal.org or by calling 1-800-733-8394. A switch to a new software caused system outages and forced applicants to reapply. Latest Federal aid has gotten to only a fraction of Texans applying for assistance because they're behind on rent and trying to avoid being evicted. Please reload the page and try again. Apr 20, 2021 Like Dislike Share Save Texas Department of Housing & Community Affairs 2.97K subscribers The Texas Rent Relief program can provide utility and rental assistance to. They were very well informed that that money was there and it was coming to them, said Scott, whos now living in a short-term rental in Missouri City with her four kids. You can login to the site as a landlord or as a tenant. When Dallas County Justice of the Peace Juan Jasso heard about the check and phone call, he asked the property manager whether they had received the check, Johnson said.

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