WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) and the Georgia Democratic Delegation sent a missive to Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Christopher Nunn seeking answers arsenic to “what factors led to the determination to adjacent the Georgia Rental Assistance (GRA) programme to caller applications, wherefore the determination took days for DCA to denote publicly, and what DCA plans to bash with the remaining national funds supporting the program.”
The authorities of Georgia received astir $1 cardinal successful national backing to forestall radical from being evicted. The lawmakers said the abrupt cutoff past period was “unacceptable” and their deficiency of transparency “wholly inadequate.” The members of Congress who signed the missive each supported the authorities that provided the backing and are acrophobic that capable announcement was not provided to applicants earlier applications for the programme were halted.
Read the afloat letter HERE and below.
Commissioner Christopher Nunn
Georgia Department of Community Affairs
60 Executive Park South, NE
Atlanta, GA 30329
Dear Commissioner Nunn:
We constitute to explicit heavy interest regarding the determination by Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) to abruptly extremity an indispensable lifeline for Georgians with nary announcement and nary transparency. Specifically, we petition accusation connected what factors led to this determination to adjacent the Georgia Rental Assistance (GRA) programme to caller applications, wherefore the determination took days for DCA to denote publicly, and what DCA plans to bash with the remaining national funds supporting the program.
This termination perchance leaves thousands of Georgian families without shelter, jeopardizing Georgia’s economical recovery. These Georgians enactment and run tiny businesses, person young children astatine home, oregon are trying to enactment their beingness backmost connected way pursuing a planetary crisis, and they merit answers astir wherefore DCA abruptly ceased accepting caller applications for the federally-funded Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), besides known arsenic GRA.
From April 2020 to October 2022, determination person been 235,217 eviction filings successful the metro Atlanta country contempt eviction moratoriums established nether national law. These filings were predominantly directed astatine low-income and number communities, who person besides borne the brunt of the wellness and economical consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In airy of this, ERAP has been a lifeline for thousands of hardworking families passim Georgia. Congress initially created this programme nether the bipartisan Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, signed into instrumentality successful December 2020. In the archetypal iteration of funding, the authorities of Georgia straight received much than $552 million, with much than $157 cardinal besides going to eligible section governments passim Georgia. Facing further calamity, Congress provided a 2nd circular of national backing to states to assistance hardworking families successful the American Rescue Plan. In this 2nd tranche, the authorities of Georgia straight received much than $437 million, with a further $125 cardinal allocated to eligible section governments successful Georgia.
This backing came astatine a captious infinitesimal successful our state’s history. Thanks to this national assistance, tens of thousands of Georgia families were capable to enactment successful their homes, sparing them and their children the tumultuous effects of eviction, and galore Georgia spot owners were capable to person accordant backing to screen their costs. Many Georgians were readying to trust connected this assistance for their rent successful November, and immoderate were readying to use for assistance for the archetypal time. In fact, determination were immoderate Georgians who were moving connected their applications connected October 27, 2022, trying to marque them arsenic broad and close arsenic imaginable truthful they could taxable them successful clip for November rent.
Then, connected October 28, 2022, these Georgians tried to log connected to the DCA website–the aforesaid website they had checked each week—only to find a one-sentence announcement. DCA was nary longer accepting caller applications.
Indeed, according to reporting by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, adjacent Georgians who DCA had antecedently approved for assistance abruptly had this support revoked, instantly throwing their quality to wage rent into limbo.
According to aggregate lodging advocates that reached retired to immoderate of our offices successful the aftermath of this decision, their clients did not person immoderate beforehand notice, nor opportunities to remedy oregon appeal. Not adjacent the galore lodging advocates and groups who had antecedently partnered with DCA to assistance tenants were notified of the change. In fact, arsenic precocious arsenic October 26, 2022—two days earlier DCA’s abrupt shutdown—Georgia counties had adjacent directed tenants to use to the DCA program.
This is unacceptable. Georgia has received astir $1 cardinal successful national backing to enactment eviction relief. This abrupt and premature determination to adjacent the GRA programme whitethorn unnecessarily unit Georgians from their home.
While we admit that DCA yet sent a missive regarding the closure to our offices connected the time of the shutdown, the exertion had closed earlier the missive was sent, starring to hours of ambiguity and disorder astir the authorities of the program. The announcement posted by DCA connected November 2, 2022—one time aft rent is typically due—is wholly inadequate.
Given the challenges this determination presents to galore Georgians, particularly those facing lodging uncertainty and insecurity, I petition that you supply a written effect addressing the closure and the aboriginal of the programme and a afloat briefing to our staffs nary aboriginal than December 9, 2022.
While we are arrogant of Georgia’s economical recovery, we inactive indispensable combat for hardworking Georgia families crossed the authorities who request a small assistance to enactment connected their feet amidst rising costs. That means taking afloat vantage of national resources to enactment hardworking Georgia families staying successful their homes, alternatively than abruptly ending a captious assets without immoderate announcement conscionable days earlier the rent is due.
Sincerely,
Reps. Hank Johnson (GA-04), Sanford Bishop (GA-02), Carolyn Bourdeaux (GA-07), Lucy McBath (GA-06), Nikema Williams (GA-05) and David Scott (GA-13).
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