Turner says fed rent relief on theway
Houston officials expect to get up to $70 million in federal stimulus funds to help renters in the city make their monthly payments and use toward other housing expenses.
The $900 billion federal stimulus package Congress approved late last year did not includemore assistance for cities and states, but it did allot $25 billion inemergency relief for renters. Those funds will pass through states and local governments that represent more than 200,000 residents.
Mayor Sylvester Turner said Wednesday he expects Houston’s share of those funds will arrive soon. Bill Kelly, the city’s director of intergovernmental relations, said he estimates the city will get an allocation of $65 million to $70 million. The money will go through the Treasury Department, and the lawcalls formaking the paymentswithin 30 days of its passage, which would be Jan. 26.
“My personal goal is to make sure we have this thing done by Feb. 1,” Kelly said of developing the city’s program.
Turner said hewas open to suggestions about the best way to distribute those funds. He asked Councilmember Tiffany Thomas, who chairs City Council’s housing committee, to work with Housing Director Tom McCasland in designing the program.
To be eligible under the law, households must be renters and have at least one individual that qualifies for unemployment or has experienced financial hardship due to COVID-19; demonstrate a riskofhomelessness orhousing in
stability; and have a household income at or below 80 percent of the area median income. For a family of four in Houston, that would be $63,050.
The law prioritizes applicants who have been unemployed for 90 days and households below 50 percent of the median income, around $39,000 in Houston for a family of four. The city could adopt additional requirements and priorities.
The city previously used about $30 million of federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security, or CARES, Act funds to direct toward renters. It also used roughly $20 million for direct assistance, in which recipients can use the money as they see fit. Baker Ripley, a community nonprofit, administered those funds.
The first round of $15million was distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, but the city pivoted in the second round to distribute the money based on need.
The incoming funds can be used for rent, rental arrears, utilities and home energy costs, “and other expenses related to housing,” according to the Treasury Department.
“Remaining funds are available for housing stability services, including case management and other services intended to keep households stably housed, and administrative costs,” the department said.
The law calls for paying the funds directly to landlords and utility providers, but cities can give money directly to eligible households if landlords refuse to participate.
Thomas told the Chronicle she thinks that allows flexibility to use those funds for direct assistance and utility relief. She said she would push to get the funds directly to people to use as they see fit, and to branch out and use more community groups to communicate the availability of the funds, rather than relying on one nonprofit.
“Our responsibility is to get the $70 million to the people to dow hat they need to do,” Thomas said.
Data fromthe first rounds of relief showed landlords prevented some applicants from getting relief, according to Thomas. She said District B, which covers neighborhoods in north and northeast Houston that have higher-than-average eviction rates, had the highest number of applicants declared ineligible, 56, because their landlords did not agree to participate in the city’s program. District K, in South Houston, had 55 ineligible applicants.
Residents in Thomas’ District F and District J, both of which have large multifamily complexes in southwest Houston, got themost relief. District C, which covers Montrose and the Heights and has the city’s highest median household income, received the least assistance.
Housing advocates were in agreement that the city needs to consider two things when distributing the funds: speed, and reaching themost vulnerable.
Madison Sloan, who directs the Disaster Recovery and Fair Housing Project at Texas Appleseed, said the relief already is too late for many families facing eviction in Houston.
“Whatever it takes to get the money out fast enough to prevent evictions,” Sloan said. “It’s really critical that money flowthrough organizations that have contacts and that may have reach into very specific communities that are themost vulnerable.”
Every page of an application and every document requirement serves as a barrier for those seeking help, Sloan said. Eli Barrish, the COVID-19 task force lead for Texas Housers, echoed that point and said the application process should be streamlined.
Crishelle Palay, theexecutive director of the Houston Organizing Movement for Equity (HOME) Coalition, said the emphasis on direct assistance is appreciated.