rental assistance programs, totaling $46.55 billion. On Wednesday, the head of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs took questions from lawmakers about the troubled rollout of the program. If both payments came from our program, the duplicate payment must be returned. Find a complete list of them here. 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. Any allegations that either a renter or a rental property owner isnt following the program rules should be reported to the program to be investigated, he said. 0000098050 00000 n 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. 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 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. endobj The Texas Rent Relief Program will shut down its application portal at 5 p.m. on Friday. TXHAF provides eligible homeowners with . Evaluating the. 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. That happens even when tenants win their eviction cases in court. Health 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. TDHCA has provided the following updates regarding the program: ADDITIONAL FUNDING REQUESTS (AFR) INFORMATION. One landlord received federal money through the Texas Rent Relief program and later chose not to renew their tenants lease which was legal in that case. No New Applications Accepted 0000002863 00000 n The Texas Rent Relief (TRR) program provides Texas tenants with financial help with rent and utility bills. The application process is managed through a software application called Neighborly. You will get a 30-minute legal consultation with information, advice, and resources. These changes go into effect on April 21st, 2021. [n6[_.7jSz 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. The application software issue has been resolved. 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. The public is also invited to share such concerns. Payment cannot be released until 90 days after the initial disbursement date; however, be advised that review and approval timelines will often exceed 90 days from the last disbursement. 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. In Texas, two state agencies the TDHCA, which oversees the statewide rent relief program, and the State Auditors Office have the authority to look into allegations of waste, fraud or abuse within the program. Eligibility: For anyone who currently rents in the United States and resides in any of the properties Esusu works with. I"OqC)RrQBY( ,VN?4Tmj|e@O)&$O&WrVRKT0X5Vrs'O. {wKPK?c- C <=fL5h|'(d-$7(r ~9 qFP9v8i-LKp Nx@`{>-aB58c$f_Q. cy,a`G|~OOsQ>gR-"F HT$uUD$>@he^? And a large and growing percentage of that is over a year old at this point.. Legislative Updates (MEMBERS ONLY) The Texas Rent Relief program was set up to help people pay their bills. My landlord has signed up with bill.com to receive payment via ACH, so hopefully, he will receive payment sooner than later. The state received another $47 million in March, which TDHCA said would go toward helping tenants who applied before the November cutoff. Interests It got off to a rocky start when it signed up just a few hundred people in the first few months. 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. Wilkinson told the House Committee on Urban Affairs that a few hundred more people had had payments sent to them over the past week, and that two additional contractors and hundreds of new analysts were being added to work through the backlog of applications. TDHCA has taken very seriously the responsibility of helping Texas renters and landlords overcome the financial burden brought on by the pandemic, Tirloni said. See our Eviction page for information on the CDC's eviction moratorium and other eviction topics. Texas Tech To Host Art Gallery. 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. After the software glitches, they were asked to resubmit their applications. 0000078000 00000 n 0000015708 00000 n Her landlord gave her until the end of May to do so. 0000014023 00000 n 0000009860 00000 n If the agency finds the allegations are credible, it can refer the cases to the state auditors office, the Treasurys inspector general or local law enforcement agencies. Johnsons trying not to dwell on the saga. Scott wanted to know: What happened to the rent relief money? Were adding added significant resources to attack the backlog and get the money out the door. 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. You can find the names and phone numbers of these organizations below. I was a good tenant, Gates said. The State Auditors Office declined to say whether it has launched any investigations into potential fraud, waste and abuse of the program. This guide is updated to reflect information pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic. 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. 0000024288 00000 n When tickets go on sale in May, Tribune members will save big. A Texas rent relief program has been plagued by problems. Those constituents were told they were unable to receive their eligible assistance while the agency recouped the funds, the lawmakers wrote Thursday to TDHCA board Chair Leo Vasquez. Are you looking for rent assistance resources, help with utility bills or reduced rent apartments? Members in the News (MEMBERS ONLY) The Texas Rent Relief (TRR) program provides Texas tenants with financial help with rent and utility bills. Home ownership 0000000016 00000 n The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) created this COVID-19 relief program in February of 2021. Donate to join or renew today. You know, we just had the problems from [the pandemic] last year, which everybody did.. 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. Body: Case ID. 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. 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. It hurts, that really hurts. Arts + Culture 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. 0000003018 00000 n In June, Gates said she lost her job after she missed a week of work because of a medical problem. But the tenants are still the ones holding the bag.. This Plano family got evicted after the Texas Rent Relief program paid the wrong landlord. 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. 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. 0000010218 00000 n Release of information or other details will be required under some circumstances. Departments Emergency Rental Assistance Program. Once the application is submitted, applicants need to remain alert for emails or calls from TDHCAs representatives who could ask for additional information. Its peoples lives at stake here, because when evictions happen, their lives are torn apart. Despite that, the property manager told Musselman they wanted to proceed with the case, Gates said. Visit TexasRentRelief.com for more program highlights. If you owe unpaid rent or utilities, that amount will be paid in one lump sum within 10 business days of your final approval. KERA also reached out to Gov. 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. The Housing Assistance Program (HAP)* provides financial assistance to renters experiencing emergency hardships from COVID-19 and to keep families in their homes. Late fees over 12% of your monthly rent (10% for properties with more than four units) are unreasonable. Texas Rent Relief approved her for a little over $3,100 about three months worth of rent. Expected time in this status: less than one week. Education / Webinars Those facing eviction should seek legal assistance, go to their eviction hearing, and stay in communication with their landlord and the court. 2 0 obj This time period has been shortened based on direction from the Department of Treasury. He oversees the state's executive branch, including the housing and community affairs department. Then she gave up her job at the Katy hospital to care once more for her youngest daughter. But the program had fixed that error, the email said. ?$.#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, Recent updates February 2023. Mar 1, 2023. events. Events / Networking Opportunities Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) Section 8 housing voucher Low-income residents may be eligible to get help paying rent. 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. The statewide program doled out more than $1.2 billion to 212,344 households. TDHCA is using the funds to help Texas renters pay rent and utility bills (including past due rent and utilities). 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.