Yakima County's federal rental assistance grant cut again, this time by $900,000 - Yakima Herald-Republic

After returning $1.1 million successful national rental assistance funds past twelvemonth due to the fact that of processing delays, Yakima County saw a $900,000 simplification successful those funds this year.

The national rental assistance was portion of COVID-19 alleviation funds. Yakima County was the lone region successful the authorities to person to instrumentality funds past year.

But that doesn’t mean the county’s rental assistance programme failed, said Esther Magasis, manager of the county’s section of quality services.

“I’m amazed that the effect from immoderate has inactive been that it was an unsuccessful task due to the fact that $2 cardinal was reclaimed,” Magasis said. “That seems to beryllium missing the bigger representation of what was achieved.”

Initially, the region was awarded much than $43 cardinal successful national rental assistance funds implicit a two-year assistance rhythm that ends astir mid-2023, Magasis said.

The funds are to beryllium distributed connected a reimbursement basis, meaning work providers indispensable wage retired of their ain pouch and question reimbursement.

Magasis said backing of this benignant successful this magnitude usually isn’t disposable to agrarian communities.

The region and country work providers who person the funds lacked the resources to administer that overmuch wealth successful a timely manner, she said.

Staffing shortages region authorities and work providers are experiencing didn’t help, Magasis said.

Typically, the region distributes astir $3.7 cardinal each 2 years rental assistance programs operated by country work providers, she said.

The assistance required the region to found an idiosyncratic strategy that prevents duplicate disbursements.

The region yet established an online portal for those successful request to use and hired and brought successful a subgrantee to processes applications, marque upfront payments for rental assistance programs and question reimbursement from the national grant, Magasis said.

Yakima County Commissioner Amanda McKinney said the region isn’t taking a dismissive cognition toward the nonaccomplishment of funds but said it shouldn’t overshadow the enactment that was done to disburse much rental assistance than ever earlier successful Yakima County.

“I’m ne'er going to beryllium dismissive of that,” she said. “But I besides privation to admit the tremendous task we were given.”

So far, the region has disbursed much than $23 cardinal of the national funds, according to the county’s online rental assistance data.

Magasis said she’s assured the remaining $19 cardinal volition beryllium disbursed earlier the assistance rhythm ends astir mid-2023.

“Right present we’ve been spending betwixt $1 (million) to $2 cardinal a month,” she said.