0000058095 00000 n <>/Metadata 393 0 R/ViewerPreferences 394 0 R>> Her former landlord had taken the rent relief funds after they evicted her. It takes away your pride and makes me feel like I failed as a parent. To a question about whether the application website is mobile-friendly, he replied, its mobile-compatible. The fund is designed to provide rent relief for renters experiencing financial hardship. Stamm alleges that RDRH Holdings violated six requirements set out by the program in a contract landlords must sign in order to receive funds. ?$.#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, 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. Requests for Proposals/Quotes (MEMBERS ONLY). Founded in 1997, the Texas Affiliation of Affordable Housing Providers (TAAHP) is a non-profit trade association serving as the primary advocate and leading resource for the affordable housing industry in Texas. Recent updates February 2023. In those cases, the check was initially sent to the wrong property and only arrived after the tenant was kicked out. hb``b``yX01 $J|*]gw"sq7X>6>^`hD"0Q{in00 Y? ` q endstream endobj 5 0 obj <> endobj 6 0 obj <>/ExtGState<>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text]/XObject<>>>/Rotate 0/TrimBox[0.0 0.0 792.0 612.0]/Type/Page>> endobj 7 0 obj <> endobj 8 0 obj <> endobj 9 0 obj [/ICCBased 22 0 R] endobj 10 0 obj [/Separation/Red 9 0 R<>] endobj 11 0 obj <> endobj 12 0 obj <>stream At the federal level, that job falls to the U.S. Treasury Departments Office of Inspector General. The Texas Rent Relief Program will shut down its application portal at 5 p.m. on Friday. Some local governments still have money for rent help, but those funds may soon run out, as well. Sign up here. Questions? The money was considered crucial to prevent a wave of tenants losing their homes as eviction bans expired; in recent months, three Texas metro areas Houston, Dallas and Fort Worth have seen some of the highest eviction case filings in the country among the 31 cities tracked by Eviction Lab, a research center based at Princeton University that tracks eviction filings. But The Texas Tribune interviewed tenants from across the state who were approved for federal rental assistance and were evicted anyway. TDHCA announced that they would be accepting new applications in March of 2023 to distribute the remaining funds. 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 free legal hotline available to South Texas residents. 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. Cherice Scotts son, 6-year-old Teegan McKinney, plays at a park in Houston. You know, we just had the problems from [the pandemic] last year, which everybody did.. Northwest Assistance Ministries: 281-583-5600. UPDATE: Accepting New Applications For Limited Time, March 14-28, 2023. Latest <>/ExtGState<>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/Annots[ 12 0 R] /MediaBox[ 0 0 792 612] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> TAAHP does not facilitate applications for affordable housing. But she still hasnt found a place to live. This tool helps find state and local rent and utility assistance near your location. For example, the program bars landlords from accepting rent relief payments after they evict a tenant. TXHAF is administered by TDHCA with funding provided under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Postal Mail: Show us with your support. Texas Coronavirus Relief Bill Rental Assistance Program administered by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Many people, especially women, have been unable to work because of child care responsibilities. Assistance continues to grow with an average of $6 million approved per day in the last week, with marked increases seen weekly. 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. Sign up for our Friends of TAAHP email list to learn more about TAAHP, critical industry issues, and hear about upcoming event and education opportunities. We believe owners have done their best to try to understand the intricacies of the program and comply with its requirements, Mintz said. If you are concerned that a community is not in compliance, please contact the TDHCA at 512-475-3800. 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. 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. But Johnsons victory was short-lived. 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. Lifestyle According to the program rules laid out in the agreement Gates landlord signed July 13 to receive the funds, if a landlord receives rent relief money after evicting the tenant, theyre supposed to send the money back to TDHCA within 10 days. 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. The rent relief checks cleared RDRHs bank account on Feb. 4 less than two weeks after Gates was evicted. 0000088009 00000 n The State Auditors Office declined to say whether it has launched any investigations into potential fraud, waste and abuse of the program. Alexander Stamm, an attorney with Texas RioGrande Legal Aid who is representing Gates, said Musselman shouldnt have let the trial take place at all because of a Texas Supreme Court order requiring judges to postpone eviction cases if a landlord confirms they have joined a tenants application for rent relief. 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. Scott wanted to know: What happened to the rent relief money? All rights reserved. What is clear is that a lot of Texans could use the help of the Texas Rent Relief program. Monday-Friday 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. CST Help is available in multiple languages. 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. 2401 E 6th Street, Ste 3037, PMB 153, Austin, TX 78702. Our evening roundup will help you stay on top of the day's latest updates. Updated information and a lease for the new unit will be required in the AFR application. 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. 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. 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). My landlord has signed up with bill.com to receive payment via ACH, so hopefully, he will receive payment sooner than later. If you suspect fraud, waste or abuse please call (833) 61-FRAUD or (833) 613-7283. Applicants must still provide all other required program documentation and must provide evidence of the notice of utility disconnection. Johnson had asked the office manager whether they had received the latest check, she said. The state is using the more than $1 billion in money from the latest federal COVID-19. A Texas rent relief program has been plagued by problems. Since the program launched in February 2021, TRR has provided over $2 billion in emergency funds for rent and utility relief, served 250 Texas counties and prevented evictions for over 21,000 households. If you have evidence, be sure to bring it to court. There have been nearly 50,000 eviction filings in Houston since the beginning of the pandemic. 0000098112 00000 n TRR is processing applications . For checking the Texas rent relief application status, you can either go online or call them up at 1-833-989-7368. %PDF-1.7 % 0000001196 00000 n Applications can be also made . The ERA program makes funding available to states, U.S. territories, local governments, and tribes to assist households that are unable to pay rent or utilities. The TDHCA runs the Texas Rent Relief program. The landlord participates in the tenant's application for rent relief, or 3. She said she has spent thousands of dollars on application fees to at least 10 homes and apartment complexes and all of them have denied her because she now has an eviction on her record. Calls to Musemeche were not returned. State of Texas | Statewide Search | Report Fraud in Texas | Texas Statutes, Site Map | Library Policies | Accessibility | Employment Opportunities, 205 West 14th Street, Austin, Texas 78701-1614. Most states have lifted their . Residents of McNair, Baytown, Highlands or Chambers County. Mar 1, 2023. events. Also, the application status in the Neighborly system will be updated when the payment has been made. And a large and growing percentage of that is over a year old at this point.. Arts + Culture :>W:lfD;)SHK(r$Iy2lj\*vj-Wf8+GfJs &Xsua9fqsJYKk~(FbD*fwG[VEiG]e29^Qv($6,9arts1y$ GS?u(-4Wc-J(,_@&U And only 250 payments have been sent. 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. 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. "To date, Texas Rent Relief has served . 2n -.-&) 1 1 According to the report, of the 176,000 people who have begun applications, just over 1,000 have had their applications approved. 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. All Rights Reserved. Of the roughly 200 that have completed applications, only two have been approved for funding. According to the TRR portal, the program provided over $2 billion in emergency funds since its launch, helping more than 310,000 Texas families remain stably housed during the pandemic. 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. Copyright by the Texas State Law Library. We're thankful for the opportunity to re-open Texas Rent Relief for two weeks to help more Texas tenants and landlords. That makes removing barriers to helping families catch up on the rent even more vital, Rosales said. Hope this timeline helps someone! Texas Rent Relief assistance payments to landlords and utility providers are considered taxable income. The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) has received approximately $1.3 billion in Emergency Rental Assistance funds from the newly passed Coronavirus Relief Bill Rental Assistance Program. an apparent violation of the programs requirements for landlords, survey gauging how the end of a federal moratorium on evictions was affecting tenants. TDHCA has taken very seriously the responsibility of helping Texas renters and landlords overcome the financial burden brought on by the pandemic, Tirloni said. requested do not exceed the program limit of 15 months. 0000020271 00000 n I think any landlord that accepted money or got money directly for rent absolutely should not have evicted anyone, Garcia said. 0000009860 00000 n 0000068079 00000 n 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. For the past year, housing advocates have been pointing to the slow-rolling housing crisis brought on by the pandemic. Around that time, Johnson said she caught COVID-19 and had to miss a month of work. 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.. After submitting, applicants should watch for communication from TRR in case additional information is needed for application. This story has been updated to include comments from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. The email and template I was provided: Support@texasrentrelief.com Subject: Your Tenant case id. 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.. Applications to the relief program can be submitted beginning March 14. Altogether, about $2 billion of the federal rental and utility assistance funds approved by Congress last year were earmarked for Texas. Texas has nearly $692 million available through its statewide rent relief program. 4 0 obj <> endobj xref Then in December, the property owner filed an eviction case against Gates and gave her a notice to vacate. You cant have it both ways with Texas Rent Relief, Stamm said. 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. In February, Texas launched a program to help people who had missed rent payments because of the pandemic. Even if the rent relief check was in hand, it wouldnt have covered the amount sought by the landlord, Musselman said. Payments have been approved for more than 2,200 additional households, the agency dashboard indicated Friday. 8. This page has answers to questions about the Texas Rent Relief Program for both landlords and tenants. Weeks after her eviction, Scott received an email from Texas Rent Relief on Nov. 9 acknowledging that it had initially sent the check to the wrong address. Scott said she spoke to the office staff and walked away believing she didnt need to worry about eviction as they waited for the relief money or to bother showing up to court. Departments Emergency Rental Assistance Program. He was asked whether he planned to reduce the $42 million contract with Horne LLP due to the troubled rollout, and said his team is reviewing the contract. The landlord applies for rent relief, or 2. 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. How are we doing? The program has assisted more than 6,000 households in the state thus far. I was a good tenant, Gates said. 0000012097 00000 n 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 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. And only 250 of payments have been sent. Stephanie Gates also thought the state rent relief program would save her from an eviction. 3 0 obj Stephanie Gates rental assistance check initially went to the wrong address and reached her landlord less than two weeks after she was evicted from her Round Rock home in January. While many have gone back to work, the unemployment rate remains significantly higher than it was before the pandemic. By the end of March, only 250 people had actually got help paying for rent out of 72,000 completed applications. According to the National Housing Law Project, 86% of the 119 lawyers across the country who responded to a survey gauging how the end of a federal moratorium on evictions was affecting tenants said they had seen cases where landlords either declined to apply for assistance from rent relief programs or took the money and proceeded to kick out their tenants. Wilkinson said many people who tried to apply may need to go back and take extra steps to complete the application. New applications are not being accepted. ) Policy and Regulatory Updates (MEMBERS ONLY) 0000078063 00000 n 0000078000 00000 n It turns out the state program had sent the check in September to the wrong address. TDHCA announced that they would be accepting new applications in March of 2023 to distribute the remaining funds. 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. The statewide TEDP is funded through a set-aside of the Texas Rent Relief Program (texasrentrelief.com), which launched February 15, 2021, stopped accepting new applications for rental assistance as of November 5, 2021, and committed 99% of all total funds by January 13, 2022. The same day, her landlord told Johnson her lease wouldnt be renewed when it expired the following week, she said. -Per federal guidelines for Emergency Rental Assistance funding, Texas Rent Relief will provide a completed IRS Form 1099-MISC to all landlords and utility providers that received at least $600 in assistance from the program during the 2021 . 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. We strive to always do better, Tirloni said in an email. [n6[_.7jSz Find the program in your area by state , territory, or tribe and apply for Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA). 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. 0000048055 00000 n <> 4 45 Last note, I was approved for 12 months back rent pay and 3 months forward, so I am receiving help for 15 months total. Find a complete list of them here. Your application status will flash one of the following statuses as provided in the chart. KPRC 2 Investigates has received dozens of complaints from people all . After weeks of phone calls, a Texas Rent Relief program staffer told Scott that her former landlord had indeed received the rent relief money in mid-November more than $11,000, enough to cover the six months back rent they owed. Business I shouldnt have.. 0000047797 00000 n Were adding added significant resources to attack the backlog and get the money out the door. Ask us! TAAHP does not have regulatory or compliance authority for any affordable housing communities or developments. In June, Gates said she lost her job after she missed a week of work because of a medical problem. The Texas Rent Relief Program, a COVID-19 emergency rental assistance program administered by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA), will be receiving an additional $47.8 million to help address the backlog of assistance requests. Musselman sided with Gates landlord and granted the eviction. Best of luck to you and anyone needing this assistance. Reporting: On February 15, 2023 Treasury released ERA1 & ERA2 Quarterly Demographic Data for Q1 2021 through Q3 2022; January 2023. 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. In her case, the check arrived in time but went to the wrong place. 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. Cities and counties that operate local rental assistance programs have $368 million. The state received another $47 million in March, which TDHCA said would go toward helping tenants who applied before the November cutoff. The state-level program meant to help both Texas renters impacted financially by the pandemic and their landlords announced Thursday morning that it would stop taking new applications for . After the software glitches, they were asked to resubmit their applications. Women In Business. Since February the state of Texas has paid landlords more than one billion dollars for tenants who can't afford to pay rent. Her landlord gave her until the end of May to do so. Failure to respond would only delay the application process. Then you can type what your issue or concern. Some areas still ban evictions outright. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on members to help keep our stories free and our events open to the public. endobj 0000020386 00000 n Regardless of your immigration status, you will be eligible for rent relief if you have been adversely affected by COVID-19 or are . It hurts, that really hurts. 4 0 obj State Bar of Texas Lawyer Referral Service, Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA), NLIHC COVID-19 State and Local Rental Assistance, Housing Legal Advice Hotline (St. Mary's School of Law), Nearly 600,000 Texans Will Lose Access to a Program That Prevented Electricity Shut-Offs During the Pandemic on Oct. 1 (8/27/2020), Texas Regulators Vote to Ban Residential Utility Shut-Offs During Pandemic While Buoying Companies (3/26/2020), Please take our patron satisfaction survey. The application portal opens Tuesday, March 14th at 8 a.m. and closes Tuesday, March 28th, at 11:59 p.m. To contact the Texas Rent Relief program, please call 1-833-9TX-RENT (1-833-989-7368). We continue to see a strong need for assistance, and eviction filings statewide have now returned to pre-pandemic levels. Appeals must be submitted within 30 days. Food + Drink % Prior to 2019, there was often confusion about what counted as a "reasonable" late fee. April 8, 2022 The federal government and the state of Texas both had people like Scott and her family in mind when they hurriedly created a safety net for struggling renters amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 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. 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. I am being evicted for not paying rent. rental assistance programs, totaling $46.55 billion. As of Feb. 17, Gates former landlord hadnt done so, Stamm said. In February, Texas launched a program to help people who had missed rent payments because of the pandemic. 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. Those most affected by the pandemic and its economic devastation low-wage workers, Black and Latino Texans, and rural communities are also the least likely to have internet at home. 0000002471 00000 n 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. Advocacy Alerts The application software issue has been resolved. 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 . About the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. 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. 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. Two landlords, like Scotts, evicted their tenants in the period between the initial rent relief application and when the government money arrived and then kept it an apparent violation of the programs requirements for landlords. 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). When tickets go on sale in May, Tribune members will save big. 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. Theres no excuse, Rosales said. 0000008211 00000 n 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. 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. As of today, the program has distributed nearly $2 billion, with more than 300,000 Texan households having been assisted or in the final payment process. Are you a Texas resident looking for affordable housing? Johnsons lawyer recorded the call. Im sitting thinking, My rents paid, OK, all I have to worry about is December and January, Gates said. The Housing Assistance Program (HAP)* provides financial assistance to renters experiencing emergency hardships from COVID-19 and to keep families in their homes. Scotts former landlord Blazer Real Estate Services, a Houston property management company did not respond to calls and emails requesting comment. *L#H0o=M6S:{D A^o l'a7*, 0000023877 00000 n stream Documentation of Lease: Tenants who are requesting AFR to pay for rent at a new unit must provide a copy of their new lease. 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. Texas Rent Relief approved help for me August 27th. The . As much as we work to mitigate human error, the potential for application errors exists. The program application now allows these applicants to self-attest to their household income, meeting program requirements instead of uploading income documentation. Texas Tech To Host Art Gallery. 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. Effectiveness of. The program was originally launched in February 2021 and is administered by the . Interests Box 580314 Access Invoices & ReceiptsRequest W9Questions & Special Requests, Update Your ProfileRequest Company Name ChangeAdding/Removing EmployeesFrequently Asked QuestionsContact Us, Mailing Address2401 E 6th St, Ste 3037, PMB 153Austin, TX 78702Email UsPhone: 512-476-9901, Aug 20, 2021 | COVID19, Latest News, Newsletter.

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