Yet they still pushed us out.. TAAHP Scholarships 0000001467 00000 n Member Grand Openings (MEMBERS ONLY) April 7, 20215 PM Central. Are you looking for rent assistance resources, help with utility bills or reduced rent apartments? AUSTIN - The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) announced it will re-open the Texas Rent Relief (TRR) application portal from March 14-28 in order to accept new applications for a remaining $96M in TRR funds. April 8, 2022 Policy and Regulatory Updates (MEMBERS ONLY) Exactly how many people have fallen behind on rent over the past year is unclear. But those are the exact grounds that RDRH Holdings cited when it sued to evict Gates, Stamm said. Funds may not still be available by the time a household applies. First-time applicants may be eligible for up to 18 months of aid with rent and utility bills. Box 580314 Eligibility: For anyone who currently rents in the United States and resides in any of the properties Esusu works with. endobj I"OqC)RrQBY( ,VN?4Tmj|e@O)&$O&WrVRKT0X5Vrs'O. {wKPK?c- C <=fL5h|'(d-$7(r ~9 qFP9v8i-LKp Nx@`{>-aB58c$f_Q. Diana Johnson, 35, was waiting on rent relief in January when her landlord tried to evict her and her seven children from their three-bedroom apartment in Southeast Dallas. an apparent violation of the programs requirements for landlords, survey gauging how the end of a federal moratorium on evictions was affecting tenants. But Johnsons victory was short-lived. Even if the rent relief check was in hand, it wouldnt have covered the amount sought by the landlord, Musselman said. Now, with a remaining $96 million in rent relief funds, the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) re-opened the Texas Rent Relief Program (TRR) and online applications through the portal will be accepted for a limited time from March 14 to 28. Payment is in process. endobj The Texas Rent Relief program was set up to help people pay their bills. For more information about fair housing, funding opportunities, or services in your area, please visitwww.tdhca.state.tx.usor theLearn about Fair Housing in Texaspage. Texas closed the rent relief program to new applicants in November, citing overwhelming demand for rental assistance dollars. The application software issue has been resolved. This tool helps find state and local rent and utility assistance near your location. 2 0 obj 0000012097 00000 n Starting October 10, 2022, all new utility assistance payments are issued directly to the tenant to ensure timely and accurate utility assistance payments. The program has emergency funds available to help Texas renters pay rent and utility bills (including past due rent and utilities). 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. But it's not a fast process. Sharing of Certifications: As outlined in the Tenant and Landlord certifications, the program may share a copy of the tenant, landlord, or utility provider certification with the tenant applicant, a user approved by the tenant, or an associated landlord or utility provider, as well as counsel for any of these parties. Altogether, about $2 billion of the federal rental and utility assistance funds approved by Congress last year were earmarked for Texas. 2 '.&& ,f1. And frankly, theyre tired.. Home 0000023877 00000 n In late January 2023, Local Profile reported that starting this March, the Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture planned to cut SNAPs COVID-19 emergency benefits, adding even more pressure on families who are struggling with rising rents and inflation pushing up prices. 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 Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs is committed to expanding fair housing choice and opportunities for Texans through the administration and funding of affordable housing and homeownership opportunities, weatherization, and community-based services with the help of for-profits, nonprofits, and local governments. Just as the program launched, the state was hit with the massive winter storm in February, which sidelined a third of the contracted phone operators for days, the report said. Hosted every Wednesday, at 6:30 p.m., by the. There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. 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. According to a legislative report, of the 176,000 people who have begun applications for rental assistance, just over 1,000 have had their applications approved. Texas Rent Relief assistance payments to landlords and utility providers are considered taxable income. Whoops! Mar 1, 2023. events. TXHAF provides eligible homeowners with . The program has assisted more than 6,000 households in the state thus far. The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) has made some changes to the Texas Rent Relief Program in order to make the application and payout process easier. *Must make an appointment. Texans shouldnt have to overcome so many bureaucratic and technological challenges just to get help that Congress already funded, Rosales said. 0000003018 00000 n 0000020386 00000 n 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. Reporting: On February 15, 2023 Treasury released ERA1 & ERA2 Quarterly Demographic Data for Q1 2021 through Q3 2022; January 2023. 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. 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. Johnsons landlord a partnership owned by Mark Musemeche, a Houston developer had already accepted more than $4,200 in federal money in August to pay four months of rent, according to a copy of Johnsons rent ledger she provided to the Tribune. Health "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. In these cases, payments will be made directly to the tenant, who then is required to pay the landlord. Cities and counties that operate local rental assistance programs have $368 million. When the state sent the rent relief check to the wrong address, Scott said the staff assured her they were working to get the money re-sent. This time period has been shortened based on direction from the Department of Treasury. Mar 1, 2023. events. Here we are at the beginning of April and still only about 200 Texas families have actually received direct help from this billion dollar program, which is unacceptable, and we need to continue to get this worked out quickly, committee chair state Rep. Philip Cortez, a San Antonio Democrat, told Texas Public Radio. Software problems left the program struggling and spotty, with tenants and landlords complaining of accessibility problems, unanswered phone calls and the inability to check the status of an application, according to the report. If tenants feel they have been unjustly evicted, they can appeal the eviction, Mintz said. Since their October eviction from their Katy apartment, Scott and her four children have lived in hotels and other temporary settings. They may also request assistance with any arrears that have not already been covered by previous TRR assistance or another provider, so long as the total months of assistance for each type of assistance (for example, rent, gas, water, etc.) Executive director Bobby Wilkinson said the early days of the program delivered a bad customer experience for people, but that the issues are being fixed. When the pandemic hit last year, millions of people across the country lost wages after they were laid off, furloughed or saw work hours cut. A collection of state and federal agencies including the TDHCA are tasked with looking into allegations of fraud, waste and abuse in rent relief programs. :>W:lfD;)SHK(r$Iy2lj\*vj-Wf8+GfJs &Xsua9fqsJYKk~(FbD*fwG[VEiG]e29^Qv($6,9arts1y$ GS?u(-4Wc-J(,_@&U The State Auditors Office declined to say whether it has launched any investigations into potential fraud, waste and abuse of the program. New applications are not being accepted. Applications to the relief program can be submitted beginning March 14. I was a good tenant, Gates said. 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. COVID-19 A scathing staff report from the Texas House Urban Affairs Committee released Monday details a host of issues that have plagued the more than $1 billion rent relief program. 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. The TRR application portal goes live Tuesday, March 14 at 8 a.m. and ends Tuesday, March 28 at 11:59 p.m. to help eligible households with rent and utility payments. T!KE) A8(x;)-GlrHqZ:%>)c#x/MoJ5K=Tj=M,dIj)h MQ7ey#5xp uwA4@!5GM3e mXI#JR!g.H?##B-|qz^^(p7r`>G>M'PF4LLLu*n_"!/N`nxxbQ9CkK4eSB[Rl7x,E $R6W9203#g~=jxPcIyH.MSLhuY9K^cPM|>Q|hfb#PxFAcL,/>~5W(oqXiU&u Texas Rent Relief approved help for me August 27th. Housing experts say they expect expiration of the eviction rules will make the already spotty protections of the eviction moratorium even more unevenly applied. Events / Networking Opportunities Assistance continues to grow with an average of $6 million approved per day in the last week, with marked increases seen weekly. We're thankful for the opportunity to re-open the application portal for two weeks to help more Texas tenants and landlords," said Bobby Wilkinson, TDHCA Executive Director. This news article provides an overview of the Texas Public Utilities Commission's recent order and how it will affect customers in Texas. Updated information and a lease for the new unit will be required in the AFR application. The Texas Rent Relief Program will be run by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. A group of Austin-area lawmakers state Reps. Celia Israel, Sheryl Cole, Vikki Goodwin, Gina Hinojosa, Donna Howard and Eddie Rodriguez alerted TDHCA this week that they have seen alarming calls from constituents whose rent relief money went to the wrong address, and called on the agency to fix the problem. 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. At a Jan. 10 eviction hearing, Gates said she told Williamson County Justice of the Peace KT Musselman she had been approved for rent relief and explained that the check went to the wrong address facts she said the property manager, who represented the landlord in court, backed up. from 8 AM - 9 PM ET. 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.. Your application status will flash one of the following statuses as provided in the chart. At the height of the pandemic in 2020, Gates, a 42-year-old Round Rock resident, saw her hours as a temp working in guest services at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport cut in half, and by January 2021 she was behind on rent for her two-bedroom apartment. 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. While applications can be made online through the programs portal, the TDHCA call center at (833) 9TX-RENT (833-989-7368) will be available to submit applications over the phone. 0000048118 00000 n 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. 0000009428 00000 n Falsification of documents or any material falsehoods or omissions in an Application to this program, including knowingly seeking duplicative benefits, is subject to state and federal criminal penalties. 0000014023 00000 n All Rights Reserved. Mon: 8 to 5pm. Last note, I was approved for 12 months back rent pay and 3 months forward, so I am receiving help for 15 months total. KPRC 2 Investigates has received dozens of complaints from people all . Texas Housing Conference Food + Drink Click Here For Information about Accepting Payments. <> The state is using the more than $1 billion in money from the latest federal COVID-19. Visit TexasRentRelief.com for more program highlights. AUSTIN, Texas, March 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) announced it will re-open the Texas Rent Relief (TRR) application portal from March 14-28 in order to accept new applications for a remaining $96M in TRR funds. She said she has spent thousands of dollars on application fees to at least 10 homes and apartment complexes and all of them have denied her because she now has an eviction on her record. r.t)gfv9~;Y>)?4{(gbx|/Ipv.8|0a(#0`~GhFc=pxr1{YpG0 In our view, the judge made a mistake letting the trial proceed as soon as [the property manager] confirmed that the owner had a pending application for rental assistance, Stamm said in an email. Even if the programs software and staffing struggles have been addressed, Rosales still worries that the programs reliance on online applications will leave eligible renters unable to apply. 0000058095 00000 n "To date, Texas Rent Relief has served more than 316,000 households affected by the pandemic. 30j($>H&L&Q.]Ky,YIR _I@*v+ Financial supporters play no role in the Tribunes journalism. Show us with your support. 3/11/2021 Funding Update: $918,238,535 available Neighborhood Centers Inc: 713-665-3600. 0000047797 00000 n This is our third or fourth round of rental assistance for some of these folks, and the documentation process for each round has been different and the application process has been a little bit different, he said. We continue to see a strong need for assistance, and eviction filings statewide have now returned to pre-pandemic levels. I trusted them, Scott said. 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 rent and utility payments. TAAHP does not facilitate applications for affordable housing. Interests 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. 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. Some rent relief programs, including the Texas Rent Relief Program, will make your landlord forgo all unreasonable late fees. TDHCA has provided the following updates regarding the program: ADDITIONAL FUNDING REQUESTS (AFR) INFORMATION. This time period has been shortened based on direction from the Department of Treasury. Applicants must still provide all other required program documentation and must provide evidence of the notice of utility disconnection. State of Texas | Statewide Search | Report Fraud in Texas | Texas Statutes, Site Map | Library Policies | Accessibility | Employment Opportunities, 205 West 14th Street, Austin, Texas 78701-1614. Find a complete list of them here. Print Feedback. Once the application is submitted, applicants need to remain alert for emails or calls from TDHCAs representatives who could ask for additional information. Feb 27, 2023. If you live in Texas no matter if you are landlord or tenants this program will help you, the simplest way is to apply for Texas Emergency rent assistance for covid 19, Visit the website, Create a account, and apply online. Mattingly also heads the Dallas Apartment Association, which represents landlords. 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. Appeals must be submitted within 30 days. Two months later, Scott received an email acknowledging her complaint but said she hasnt heard back since. I am being evicted for not paying rent. But in September, Gates received good news: Not only did she qualify for help paying back rent, but the program would cover her rent through November 11 months all together, totaling $12,740. Im sitting thinking, My rents paid, OK, all I have to worry about is December and January, Gates said. In June, Gates said she lost her job after she missed a week of work because of a medical problem. Perhaps it goes without saying but producing quality journalism isn't cheap. Now, with a remaining $96 million in rent relief funds, the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) re-opened the Texas Rent Relief Program (TRR) and online applications through the portal will be accepted for a limited time from March 14 to 28. Texas has nearly $692 million available through its statewide rent relief program. In order to receive federal rent relief funds through the state, landlords had to sign an agreement that forbids them from evicting tenants for nonpayment during the time period covered by the assistance. Info about the decision to end the program and eviction diversion is included as well. Even now, despite our challenges, were ahead of most states in processing applications and making payments, Wilkinson testified, comparing Texas to other large states like California and Florida. x]s6(4A y;4N}PmT\INvB/$( On Jan. 27, Williamson County constables came to execute the eviction. What do I do? TAAHP does not have regulatory or compliance authority for any affordable housing communities or developments. 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. 1 0 obj SACRAMENTO - California's COVID-19 Rent Relief Program is reaching a significant milestone today - by the end of the day, more than $1 billion in funding will be obligated - meaning the money has either been paid or approved for payment and awaiting disbursement - and will assist over 74,000 additional households. TDHCA has taken very seriously the responsibility of helping Texas renters and landlords overcome the financial burden brought on by the pandemic, Tirloni said. Eviction Intervention Program For Renters If you live within Harris County or Houston city limits and your landlord has already taken you to court for eviction, you may be eligible for eviction intervention rental assistance through the Houston-Harris County Emergency Rental Assistance Program. The Texas Rent Relief Program provides emergency funds available to help Texas renters pay rent and utility bills (including past due rent and utilities). Our vision is to inspire and engage our members and stakeholders to end the affordable housing crisis in Texas. Federal aid has gotten to only a fraction of Texans applying for assistance because they're behind on rent and trying to avoid being evicted. cy,a`G|~OOsQ>gR-"F HT$uUD$>@he^? In each expanded section, there are . Wilkinson said hed be open to exploring more options to get that message out. You know, we just had the problems from [the pandemic] last year, which everybody did.. We will accept new applications for rent and utility assistance from Tuesday, March 14 at 8 a.m. CT to Tuesday, March 28 at 11:59 p.m. CT. COVID-19 has affected Texans across the state. Read on for a look at these new changes, and visit our Rent and Legal Assistance page on the COVID-19 & Texas Law guide for more information. 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. As of July 26, more than 95,000 households have received assistance from the Texas Rent Relief Program, and almost $600 million in relief has been paid out, according to the TDHCA. ?$.#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, Landlord Application Information. 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. 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. Call to schedule an appointment with a legal representative. Landlords and tenants are particularly put on notice that 18 U.S.C. Perhaps it goes without saying but producing quality journalism isn't cheap. 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. Closed from 12 to 1pm for lunch. 0000026104 00000 n Questions? See our Eviction page for information on the CDC's eviction moratorium and other eviction topics. Its unclear whether landlords face any penalties from state agencies for improperly evicting tenants while receiving rent relief dollars intended to help those tenants stay housed during the COVID-19 pandemic.