Lee Reznicek, a property manager who oversees Gates former home for Austin-based Hill Country Property Management, declined to comment when reached by email. A spokesperson did not respond to the request for comment. This time period has been shortened based on direction from the Department of Treasury. But Johnsons victory was short-lived. 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. Mar 1, 2023. events. Since February the state of Texas has paid landlords more than one billion dollars for tenants who can't afford to pay rent. As of Feb. 17, Gates former landlord hadnt done so, Stamm said. Applicants that have received help from the program before but have not received the maximum of 18 months of assistance allowed, can submit an additional funding request using their existing online user account. 3/11/2021 Funding Update: $918,238,535 available Fo;o7d0ywL|JR!xM%|{GGk#x5OOs=cj ldk6yQhvuFPH:A3w7p^km,xa5qJCzGn` Qm;\]RR)RfZzua!v" ExqKgp?NLR}.ka2`Rpbtm!#9#OF4?1B&|2ousE?-u@[2d(K8&8 \l=>` Need to stay updated on coronavirus news in Texas? Texas Rent Relief gave me a second (or duplicate) payment for a tenant's month of rent. 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. The Texas Rent Relief (TRR) program provides Texas tenants with financial help with rent and utility bills. I think any landlord that accepted money or got money directly for rent absolutely should not have evicted anyone, Garcia said. You will be asked to create an account and then . Approvals have. The application software issue has been resolved. Job Listings 1 0 obj
The email and template I was provided: Support@texasrentrelief.com Subject: Your Tenant case id. The application process is managed through a software application called Neighborly. 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. Johnson had asked the office manager whether they had received the latest check, she said. Both the federal and state government added enforcement provisions when they created the rent relief programs. Payment is in process. Neighborhood Centers Inc: 713-665-3600. Attempts to reach the property owner RDRH Holdings Inc., an Austin-based corporation and its president were unsuccessful. Texas law allows landlords to collect "reasonable" late fees if any portion of the rent remains unpaid more than two full days after it was due. by Christopher Connelly, KERA News Closed from 12 to 1pm for lunch. Your application status will flash one of the following statuses as provided in the chart. In other words, Scott had already been evicted, but Texas Rent Relief was letting the landlord keep the money more than $11,000 in apparent contradiction of its own policy. Updated: 8 AM Central. We're thankful for the opportunity to re-open Texas Rent Relief for two weeks to help more Texas tenants and landlords. 0000005047 00000 n
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TAAHP Scholarships 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. pk}b=^ ;+2b4+rU:"KOJF&. Visit the TDHCA contact us page for information. 2021 Program Information. 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. Regardless of your immigration status, you will be eligible for rent relief if you have been adversely affected by COVID-19 or are . TXHAF is administered by TDHCA with funding provided under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. At the federal level, that job falls to the U.S. Treasury Departments Office of Inspector General. Please take our patron satisfaction survey! 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. The first payment never came because they had a Covid outbreak. 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. 0000002863 00000 n
April 7, 20215 PM Central. 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. 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. 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. *L#H0o=M6S:{D A^o l'a7*, Events / Networking Opportunities 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.. 0000003417 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. A portion of the funds have been set-aside specifically for households whose landlords have already sued for eviction in their local court. TDHCA has provided the following updates regarding the program: ADDITIONAL FUNDING REQUESTS (AFR) INFORMATION. The state is using the more than $1 billion in money from the latest federal COVID-19. You can also call the TDHCA's fraud hotline if you think your landlord may be mishandling the funds: (833) 61-FRAUD or (833) 613-7283. Expected time in this status: less than one week. Home ownership 1001 provides, among other things, that whoever knowingly and willingly makes or uses a document or writing containing any false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or entry, in any matter within the jurisdiction of any department or agency of the United States will be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned for not more than five years, or both. She said the past few months have been hard. 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. Call to schedule an appointment with a legal representative. At the moment, Gates is bouncing back and forth between her fathers house and a friends while she appeals her eviction in an attempt to strike it from her record and make it easier for her to find a new place. 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. Two months later, Scott received an email acknowledging her complaint but said she hasnt heard back since. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribunes journalism. 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. Around the time of the eviction, Scott and her husband separated. 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. 0000047797 00000 n
The Texas Rent Relief Program provides emergency funds available to help Texas renters pay rent and utility bills (including past due rent and utilities). These changes go into effect on April 21st, 2021. Have you subscribed to our free weekly newsletter? 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. Other program limitations may also apply please see https://www.tdhca.state.tx.us/covid19-response.htm for details. Nov. 9, 2021 - (Tarrant County) - As of Friday, Nov. 5 at 5 p.m., the Texas Rent Relief Program (TRR), the State of Texas' rental assistance program, stopped accepting applications. 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 Cherice Scotts son, 6-year-old Teegan McKinney, plays at a park in Houston. Members in the News (MEMBERS ONLY) Show us with your support. And more is on the. Im sitting thinking, My rents paid, OK, all I have to worry about is December and January, Gates said. The statewide program doled out more than $1.2 billion to 212,344 households. Johnson, a manager of a hair salon and certified nursing assistant, had asked the program in October for help covering rent while she recovered from giving birth to her son and couldnt work. Perhaps it goes without saying but producing quality journalism isn't cheap. Utilities, Clothing for Children, Employment assistance services. Questions? Women In Business. 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. Do you value our journalism? See our Eviction page for information on the CDC's eviction moratorium and other eviction topics. Business Scott had landed a new job as a dietician at a local hospital when she returned from work one afternoon in early October to find most of her belongings spread out on the lawn and the locks changed. Of the maximum $65,000 available per household, up to $10,000 can be used for utility assistance (inclusive of past due balance and prospective assistance). All rights reserved. To request this information, please contact us toll-free at 833-9TX-RENT (833-989-7368). 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. 0000015708 00000 n
Wilkinson said hed be open to exploring more options to get that message out. This guide is updated to reflect information pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic. But Musselman expressed sympathy for the landlord, noting that they had gone 11 months without rent from Gates. Information in this guide is subject to change at any time. Donate to join or renew today. 0000020158 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. 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. 3 0 obj
Payment in Process Good news! 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. An employee at the apartment complex, Crestshire Village Apartments, declined to comment. And frankly, theyre tired.. hb``b``yX01 $J|*]gw"sq7X>6>^`hD"0Q{in00 Y? ` q
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If you need help paying rent in Katy, or other financial assistance, reach out to Katy Christian Ministries for more information on their programs. Theres no excuse, Rosales said. The property manager quickly confirmed that they had and Jasso tossed the eviction. Media Availability Planned For Texas Tech's 8th Annual Ambassadors' Forum. 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. But it's not a fast process. Then they mailed it to the wrong address twice and they want to evict me. The Housing Assistance Program (HAP)* provides financial assistance to renters experiencing emergency hardships from COVID-19 and to keep families in their homes. 0000020386 00000 n
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. Find programs to help you with rent or utility payments, help you find a rent-reduced apartment, help you find emergency housing or homeless shelters, and more. Lone Star Legal Aid is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit law firm focused on advocacy for low-income and underserved populations. Housing experts say they expect expiration of the eviction rules will make the already spotty protections of the eviction moratorium even more unevenly applied. 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. But housing advocates and lawyers who represent tenants facing eviction say they routinely see cases of Texas landlords accepting thousands of dollars from the government and evicting the tenants the money was intended to help. Then you can type what your issue or concern. The state received another $47 million in March, which TDHCA said would go toward helping tenants who applied before the November cutoff. Many landlords have tried to work with their tenants to try to avoid evictions for back rent during the pandemic, said David Mintz, vice president of government affairs for Texas Apartment Association, a trade group of rental property owners. I trusted them, Scott said. We've provided over $2B in emergency funds to help Texas renters pay rent and utility bills (including past due rent and utilities). Hope this timeline helps someone! This tool helps find state and local rent and utility assistance near your location. This story has been updated to include comments from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Print Feedback. It got off to a rocky start when it signed up just a few hundred people in the first few months. 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. Things To Do My landlord has signed up with bill.com to receive payment via ACH, so hopefully, he will receive payment sooner than later. 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. 0000001467 00000 n
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. Home By clicking the plus sign by one of the listed programs, the page will expand and provide the full details of that program. The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs also offers a website about this program. The rent relief checks cleared RDRHs bank account on Feb. 4 less than two weeks after Gates was evicted. But The Texas Tribune interviewed tenants from across the state who were approved for federal rental assistance and were evicted anyway. Landlord associated with the application will receive an email notification of . Legislative Updates (MEMBERS ONLY) 0000010218 00000 n
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The department . V o l . Applications in this set-aside will be processed first to decrease application processing time and increase the likelihood of evictions being diverted. And only 250 payments have been sent. Despite that, the property manager told Musselman they wanted to proceed with the case, Gates said. I am being evicted for not paying rent. 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 . 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. 0000068016 00000 n
We are learning more about why there are delays in the. 2023 Local Profile is a registered trademark of Community Profile LLC. When typing in this field, a list of search results will appear and be automatically updated as you type. Wilkinson said many people who tried to apply may need to go back and take extra steps to complete the application. Then she gave up her job at the Katy hospital to care once more for her youngest daughter. Eligible households can apply for assistance online at TexasRentRelief.com or over the phone by calling the TRR call center at 833-9TX-RENT (833-989-7368). 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. By the end of March, only 250 people had actually got help paying for rent out of 72,000 completed applications. 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. 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. This website allows you to ask a lawyer a legal question in writing for free. KPRC 2 Investigates has received dozens of complaints from people all . When you click on the link for the first time, you will need to be prepared with a valid email address. 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. Is there any communication that were making, saying we messed up, give us a minute and give them a minute so that we can get them the relief that they need, and everyone will be made whole in a few weeks? Bernal asked. 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. . Community 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. Request for assistance has been verified and approved. Around that time, Johnson said she caught COVID-19 and had to miss a month of work. Weve had to handhold our residents through these various processes, obtaining the correct documentation, helping them with scanning, Mattingly was told by one landlord. In a phone interview, Musselman declined to say why he ruled in favor of Gates landlord. Mattingly also heads the Dallas Apartment Association, which represents landlords. Thieves had walked off with their electronics. 0000002022 00000 n
They told her there was no way to see if they had received it, she said. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on members to help keep our stories free and our events open to the public. 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. Documentation of Lease: Tenants who are requesting AFR to pay for rent at a new unit must provide a copy of their new lease. 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. 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). 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. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on members to help keep our stories free and our events open to the public. Member Newsletters (MEMBERS ONLY) Stephanie Gates also thought the state rent relief program would save her from an eviction. Housing advocates acknowledge the challenges of standing up such a massive program, but Christina Rosales from the group Texas Housers said theres a larger issue at play here: As a state, Texas regularly fails to focus its vast resources on helping people in the midst of a disaster. 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. TDHCA is using the funds to help Texas renters pay rent and utility bills (including past due rent and utilities). 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. Texas Coronavirus Relief Bill Rental Assistance Program administered by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. 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 . 0000026104 00000 n
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We strive to always do better, Tirloni said in an email. For example, the program bars landlords from accepting rent relief payments after they evict a tenant. Landlords and tenants are particularly put on notice that 18 U.S.C. ;+h-WZXi
ZrzOK4-X6~PR,JtV J5G! The landlord participates in the tenant's application for rent relief, or 3. 2. How are we doing? Advocacy Alerts 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. Texas Housing Conference Box 580314 Some areas still ban evictions outright. Body: Case ID. 0000058032 00000 n
A free legal hotline available to South Texas residents. Mar 1, 2023. events. Applications will be processed in the order received, prioritizing those facing evictions. But she still hasnt found a place to live. The TDHCA runs the Texas Rent Relief program. Find a complete list of them here. <>
The . Landlord Application Information. The details for each program are available below. And a large and growing percentage of that is over a year old at this point.. How are landlords going to have faith in a rental relief program, and how are they going to hang on their tenants when this is happening? Rosales said. Texas closed the rent relief program to new applicants in November, citing overwhelming demand for rental assistance dollars. 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. 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. But those are the exact grounds that RDRH Holdings cited when it sued to evict Gates, Stamm said. Landlords can get up to 15 months of rent paid through this program, but only if they don't evict. According to the report, of the 176,000 people who have begun applications, just over 1,000 have had their applications approved. Altogether, about $2 billion of the federal rental and utility assistance funds approved by Congress last year were earmarked for Texas. Eligible households can apply for assistance online at TexasRentRelief.com or over the phone by calling the TRR call center at 833-9TX-RENT (833-989-7368). But the program had fixed that error, the email said. When Dallas County Justice of the Peace Juan Jasso heard about the check and phone call, he asked the property manager whether they had received the check, Johnson said. Hosted every Wednesday, at 6:30 p.m., by the. The following provides performance of the Texas Rent Relief Program, as of May 12, 2021: More than $110 million has been paid or is in the process of being paid. x]s6(4A y;4N}PmT\INvB/$( Applications can be also made . 8. TAAHP does not have regulatory or compliance authority for any affordable housing communities or developments. Perhaps it goes without saying but producing quality journalism isn't cheap. In late March she started a new job teaching at an early learning center. If tenants feel they have been unjustly evicted, they can appeal the eviction, Mintz said. 0000088072 00000 n
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To receive help from Katy Christian Ministries you must live in one of the following zip codes: 77084, 77094, 77406, 77423, 77441, 77449, 77450, 77464, 77476, 77485, 77493, 77494 Info about the decision to end the program and eviction diversion is included as well. KERA also reached out to Gov. In February, Texas launched a program to help people who had missed rent payments because of the pandemic. Scott said she complained to a program staffer in October about her landlords conduct, and the staffer referred the complaint to the programs anti-fraud division. For others, health issues made going to work unsafe while the pandemic raged out of control. Eligibility: For anyone who currently rents in the United States and resides in any of the properties Esusu works with.
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