If issues are discovered or brought to our attention, like payments sent to an incorrect address, or payments sent to a landlord who has evicted the tenant, we will take corrective measures, like recapture or other necessary steps.. The statewide program doled out more than $1.2 billion to 212,344 households. Governor Abbott, TDHCA Commit 95% Of Total Funds From Texas Rent Relief How to Apply for an Emergency Rental Assistant in Houston Meanwhile, Scott is trying to rebuild her life. PDF ERA Program and Overall Ranking - Texas Housers an apparent violation of the programs requirements for landlords, survey gauging how the end of a federal moratorium on evictions was affecting tenants. Payments have been approved for more than 2,200 additional households, the agency dashboard indicated Friday. Regardless of your immigration status, you will be eligible for rent relief if you have been adversely affected by COVID-19 or are . Lee Reznicek, a property manager who oversees Gates former home for Austin-based Hill Country Property Management, declined to comment when reached by email. 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. TDHCA has provided the following updates regarding the program: ADDITIONAL FUNDING REQUESTS (AFR) INFORMATION. "To date, Texas Rent Relief has served . How are landlords going to have faith in a rental relief program, and how are they going to hang on their tenants when this is happening? Rosales said. 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. 0000005047 00000 n You cant get paid directly, and also break the promises you made that were designed to keep someone in their home.. But she said the program doesnt allow landlords to receive back rent if theyve evicted a tenant the opposite of what the email to Scott said. Failure to respond will delay application review and timeline for approved payments. 0000058095 00000 n 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. 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. Since being evicted from their home in Katy, Cherice Scott and her four children have lived in hotels and other temporary settings, most recently a short-term rental in Missouri City. your Phone number -Specify Landlord or tenant rental assistance. Friday is last day to apply for Texas Rent Relief Thieves had walked off with their electronics. While hes cautiously optimistic that the Texas Rent Relief programs problems have largely been addressed, fundamental questions remain unanswered. What you need to know about Texas' new rental relief program - KHOU Visit the TDHCA contact us page for information. But the tenants are still the ones holding the bag.. KPRC 2 Investigates Texas Rent Relief program: Why some renters have Mar 1, 2023. events. Mon: 8 to 5pm. KERA also reached out to Gov. 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. It's embarrassing, Scott said. 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. Scott wanted to know: What happened to the rent relief money? That happens even when tenants win their eviction cases in court. Some rent relief programs, including the Texas Rent Relief Program, will make your landlord forgo all unreasonable late fees. "To date, Texas Rent Relief has served more than 316,000 households affected by the pandemic. Tenants in New Units: Tenants who are living at a new address may request funds through the AFR process for the rent expenses of the new primary residence. 0000001407 00000 n The email and template I was provided: Support@texasrentrelief.com Subject: Your Tenant case id. 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. 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. Its awesome. from 8 AM - 9 PM ET. If you are concerned that a community is not in compliance, please contact the TDHCA at 512-475-3800. We've provided over $2B in emergency funds to help Texas renters pay rent and utility bills (including past due rent and utilities). And a large and growing percentage of that is over a year old at this point.. Some tenants who spoke to the Tribune about their cases said they called a hotline used to report fraud, waste and abuse in the state rent relief program and never heard back about their complaints. 0000008211 00000 n Both the federal and state government added enforcement provisions when they created the rent relief programs. 0000048055 00000 n Lq]0BLaOy\s^ADJ| Texas Housing Conference Landlord Application Information | Brazoria County, TX TDHCA says it has received more than 7,500 complaints through the hotline not all of them related to fraud, waste or abuse but the agency wont say how many times it has referred cases to outside agencies for investigation. The landlord submits any information or documentation to receive payment as part of a rent relief program. Our evening roundup will help you stay on top of the day's latest updates. 0000025788 00000 n When asked if he had a set targets for performance going forward, he said I can and I will, but that he wanted to for a couple weeks before committing to specific goals. Johnsons trying not to dwell on the saga. #4'x= 3r8 #TH(fY'O3 }~\N |iz$&dr_~azLN~u($~^ K H!K @gq4. the service staff will examine your application and once it is approved you will be able to claim emergency rental . Texas Rent Relief Program Provides Over $550 Million in Assistance Shes focused on finding a new place for her and her seven children to live. And if they did, it should be audited and reviewed by [government investigators] so that we can recoup our funds for the misuse of the dollars.. TDHCA has taken very seriously the responsibility of helping Texas renters and landlords overcome the financial burden brought on by the pandemic, Tirloni said. Texas Rent Relief Program Reopens, Application Starts this Month Depending on eligibility and needs, this could include past-due payments or a combination of past-due and up to three months of current and future payments. Tenants who are eligible for an Additional Funding Request may submit requests for rental and utility assistance for the current month and two future months. Tirloni, the TDHCA spokesperson, declined to discuss individual tenants cases, including Scotts, citing state law that prevents TDHCA from disclosing information about people who receive benefits from programs administered by the agency. As the tenant was evicted from the unit associated with this application, pursuant to program policies, rental arrears are only approved for the time period the tenant was in the unit, the email reads. cy,a`G|~OOsQ>gR-"F HT$uUD$>@he^? % TAAHP Scholarships Community 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. Even now, despite our challenges, were ahead of most states in processing applications and making payments, Wilkinson testified, comparing Texas to other large states like California and Florida. Our constituents experienced significant unreliability during an already challenging set of circumstances, all the while, both renters and landlords alike had unclear direction from TDHCA for weeks or months if and when the approved funds would finally arrive, the lawmakers wrote. 8. Policy and Regulatory Updates (MEMBERS ONLY) This Plano family got evicted after the Texas Rent Relief program paid the wrong landlord. It hurts, that really hurts. Rosales said shes heard landlords say at eviction court that they're already so frustrated and tired by the slow pace and confusing nature of rental assistance programs that theyd rather evict tenants than hold out for assistance. 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. Show us with your support. Fo;o7d0ywL|JR!xM%|{GGk#x5OOs=cj ldk6yQhvuFPH:A3w7p^km,xa5qJCzGn` Qm;\]RR)RfZzua!v" ExqKgp?NLR}.ka2`Rpbtm!#9#OF4?1B&|2ousE?-u@[2d(K8&8 \l=>` 0000017510 00000 n Eligibility: For anyone who currently rents in the United States and resides in any of the properties Esusu works with. Depending on each applicants needs and eligibility, this could include past-due payments or a combination of past-due and up to three months of current and future payments made on their behalf. Its peoples lives at stake here, because when evictions happen, their lives are torn apart. Whoops! Cherice Scotts landlord evicted her and her family in October, then cashed a check for rental assistance funds intended to keep them housed. Texas' rental assistance program will soon run out of money Women In Business. A switch to a new software caused system outages and forced applicants to reapply. The program has emergency funds available to help Texas renters pay rent and utility bills (including past due rent and utilities). 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 . 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. %PDF-1.7 % To get that protection, you'll need to attest on a declaration form that you meet a few requirements, such as that you earned less than $99,000 in 2020 or 2021. 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. Many people, especially women, have been unable to work because of child care responsibilities. Texas Rent Relief approved her for a little over $3,100 about three months worth of rent. Altogether, about $2 billion of the federal rental and utility assistance funds approved by Congress last year were earmarked for Texas. 0000026104 00000 n 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. In June, Gates said she lost her job after she missed a week of work because of a medical problem. To receive help from Katy Christian Ministries you must live in one of the following zip codes: 77084, 77094, 77406, 77423, 77441, 77449, 77450, 77464, 77476, 77485, 77493, 77494 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. Food + Drink Eligible households can apply for assistance online at TexasRentRelief.com or over the phone by calling the TRR call center at 833-9TX-RENT (833-989-7368). State Rep. Diego Bernal, a San Antonio Democrat, wanted to know what was being done to make sure landlords know that the problems are being fixed and to urge them to hold off on filing eviction cases against tenants who tried to apply for rent relief but had their application held up . 0000020271 00000 n Texas has only made 3 rent relief payments As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on members to help keep our stories free and our events open to the public. Texas has nearly $692 million available through its statewide rent relief program. PDF Application Response Times For Initial Funding Requests - Texas Rent Relief Hosted every Wednesday, at 6:30 p.m., by the. UPDATE: Accepting New Applications For Limited Time, March 14-28, 2023. And more is on the. Updated: 8 AM Central. Landlord Application Information. endobj Best of luck to you and anyone needing this assistance. 1. Please take our patron satisfaction survey! Member Newsletters (MEMBERS ONLY) 0000068016 00000 n Greg Abbott for comment on the report. Funds may not still be available by the time a household applies. Ask us! Eviction Intervention Program For Renters If you live within Harris County or Houston city limits and your landlord has already taken you to court for eviction, you may be eligible for eviction intervention rental assistance through the Houston-Harris County Emergency Rental Assistance Program. California COVID-19 Rent Relief Program Hits - California Governor KPRC 2 Investigates Texas Rent Relief program: Single mother served :>W:lfD;)SHK(r$Iy2lj\*vj-Wf8+GfJs &Xsua9fqsJYKk~(FbD*fwG[VEiG]e29^Qv($6,9arts1y$ GS?u(-4Wc-J(,_@&U Landlords and tenants are particularly put on notice that 18 U.S.C. Some local governments still have money for rent help, but those funds may soon run out, as well. PDF TEXAS RENT RELIEF PROGRAM Understanding the Status of your Application But Johnsons victory was short-lived.