Rent relief program opens for applicants
Houston-Harris County joint fund aims to help tenants catch up on overdue bills
Tenants who have missed rent or utility bills due to financial hardship stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic can start applying for relief from the city and county on Thursday.
The two governments have pooled $159 million in federal relief funds to try to help renters catch up on missed payments. The state has launched its own $1 billion fund with the same relief money, marking a massive local investment in rent relief.
To apply, residents must make less than 80 percent of the area median income, $63,050 for a family of four in Houston. They must have suffered financial hardship due to the pandemic and demonstrate housing instability. The qualifications and relief structure were set by guidelines from the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
The funds will not be disbursed on a first-come, first-served basis. Priority will go to people making less than half the area median income — about $39,000 for a Houston family of four — and who have been unemployed for 90 days. Organizers expect the program to be open for several months.
More information about the application process is available at HoustonHarrisHelp.org/renters.
“What we’re trying to do with this particular money … is provide relief to families facing eviction, and to help them catch up on the rent they have that’s past due and give them a little bit of a breather,” said Natalie Wood, senior vice president of programs at Catholic Charities, which is administering the program with BakerRipley.
Wood said it should not take long to start getting funds out the door. The program will work in batches, randomizing the pool of recipients.
“I would hope within 10 days at the most you’ll see money,” she said.
Landlords and renters who applied for the city’s rent relief efforts last year and did not receive funds will be added to the application pool. Administrators are contacting those renters and asking them to update their applications.
Tenants will be asked for information about their household, location, past-due rent debt, and documents that provide proof of income, financial impact and housing instability, according to the website.
Landlords already have been able to apply, and renters will be asked to identify their landlords when submitting their own applications. Officials have said there will be an option for those whose landlords did not apply, as well. The website says administrators will reach out to those landlords and ask them to enroll.
Those landlords will have 21 days to respond, according to Catholic Charities and BakerRipley. If they do not respond, there will be “limited funds” available to give direct assistance to those renters.
Wood said they have not set aside money for those applicants yet. They are waiting to see how many apply.
The relief money can go toward missed rent since April 2020, along with two months of future rent. There also is assistance available for utility bills, such as electricity, gas and water.
Those who receive the assistance can get as much as 12 months of rent relief along with some utility payments. The rent payments will be made directly to landlords, who have to agree to waive late fees and other penalties and stop pursuing evictions or other legal proceedings while their tenants’ applications are processed.
Several community-level organizations will act as “navigators” to help guide people through the process.
The city last week passed a grace period ordinance to help stave off evictions until the relief money can reach those in need. That ordinance prevents landlords from evicting or initiating an eviction against people who qualify and provide documentation attesting that they have not been able to pay rent due to financial hardship.
Catholic Charities and BakerRipley say they have other programs for people who may not qualify. The United Way also operates a 2-1-1 hotline for resources.