Houston to receive additional Treasury Department funding to reach 'struggling tenants, landlords'

Additional rental assistance could be coming to Houston as the city is on a shortlist of those that will get extra Treasury Department funding, according to Politico. 

"We’re proud to be a part of a small group of local governments who are receiving a second round of rental assistance due to our efficiency in the first round. We're ready to get this out the door and to the people who need it most," Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said in a Twitter post. 

The Treasury Dept. plans to allocate the remaining $13 million in federal rent aid to cities that have demonstrated effectiveness at distributing the funding, according to Politico. 

The announcement came after the U.S. Supreme Court backed the expiration of a federal eviction moratorium, according to Politico. 

As of earlier this month, Texas has distributed over $750 million in aid to at least 100,000 households, according to Smart City Dives. 

Those state and local programs that have "substantially expended" their first round of funding and obligated at least 75% of their second round will be eligible for more money, according to Politico. 

"Treasury is happy to provide these state and local government programs with additional resources to support Americans in need of rental assistance," Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo said in a press release. "We are also committed to reallocating resources to ensure assistance reaches struggling tenants and landlords during the pandemic."

Adeyemo visited the program in Houston and Harris County and met with administrators in July, according to a press release from the Treasury Department. 

In early September, Hidalgo joined Secretary Janet Yellen at a virtual event hosted by the White House highlighting successful ERA programs, according to the Treasury Department. 

In the event, Hidalgo outlined how the county "has used a proactive diversion plan, including efforts to reach out to renters who are on the eviction docket to connect them with assistance – alongside self-attestation and a streamlined application process to distribute all its ERA1 allocation," according to the Treasury Department.