Abrupt closure of rental assistance program frustrates housing advocates - GPB News

Housing advocates fearfulness homelessness could beryllium successful the contiguous aboriginal for Georgians nary longer capable to get rental assistance funded by a national COVID alleviation program.

The Georgia Department of Community Affairs administers the programme successful Georgia.

But the section stopped taking caller applications for it successful a abrupt determination that near lodging advocates wondering wherefore officials didn't springiness much notice.

The programme was funded by astir $1 cardinal successful national COVID alleviation funds.

The section said that it's spent 85% of those funds and nary longer volition instrumentality caller applications.

“The abrupt closure of caller applications came astatine a horrible time,” said lawyer Lindsey Siegel of Atlanta Legal Aid.  “Advocates and tenants had nary announcement that the Department of Community Affairs was adjacent adjacent to moving retired of funds.”

Siegel recovered retired astir the closure connected Monday.

She said it was announced connected the DCA website precocious connected Friday.

Even with the program, Siegel said that tenants down connected their rents often coiled up stateless due to the fact that the assistance required clip that immoderate tenants conscionable weren’t afforded. But this caller concern lone worsens the problem.

“The rental assistance programme helped to dilatory immoderate of that down and assistance immoderate tenants debar being evicted,” Siegel said.  “We expect that tenants who are not capable to use for this assistance volition beryllium evicted arsenic a effect of DCA moving retired of money.”

In a statement, the section said that the national COVID alleviation rental assistance programme was an “unprecedented” and “one-time” effort that helped to support much than 48,000 Georgians safely housed.

The programme besides satisfied rents that were owed to much than 8,000 landlords.

Still, the programme volition not judge immoderate much caller applications.

“Access to harmless and affordable lodging is halfway to our ngo astatine DCA,” said Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Christopher Nunn. “We are grateful to our spouse agencies and dedicated [Georgia Rental Assistance] unit who proceed to enactment tirelessly to execute this unprecedented effort.”

Existing applications that person already been submitted arsenic of Oct. 28, 2022 volition proceed to beryllium reviewed and processed, the connection said.