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Houston and Harris Counties have been standouts in the effort to distribute billions in federal rent relief dollars, according to two news stories published last month.
SmartCitiesDive, in a Sept. 15 news story, and ABC 13 Eyewitness News, in a Sept. 23 news story, both referred to a U.S. Treasury Department statement issued in July about the Houston-Harris County Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP). The Texas program, "a regional partnership through two high-capacity, culturally competent non-profit agencies," BakerRipley and Catholic Charities, is "one of the nation’s strongest local ERA programs," the statement said.
The treasury department praise came less than a week after Deputy Treasury Secretary Adewale "Wally" Adeyemo's visit to Houston Counties and observed the ERAP program in action. As of his visit, the two counties had delivered more than $137 million in assistance to more than 36,000 eligible renters in greater-metro Houston.
Adeyemo observed the program's culturally and linguistically relevant services and called it "critical for achieving an equitable distribution of these emergency resources," the statement said.
Local administrators have been successful by moving programs away from a "first come, first serve" strategy and instead used strategies such as prioritizing households and providing additional support for applicants in active evictions, Adeyemo said in the statement.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo also praised the program in a statement provided in the ABC 13 news story that also was published the same day in The Katy News.
"From the beginning, Harris County partnered with the city to make the Emergency Rental Assistance Program a seamless experience, distributing funds quickly to intercept the eviction process," Hidalgo said. "We've shown what can happen when you're flexible, innovative and put people ahead of bureaucracy. We pulled together with a sense of urgency because we recognize so many families simply cannot wait for help to arrive."
An additional $86 million in rental relief arrived in the program in mid-September and the Houston-Harris County program was among the first to receive a share of the additional funds, ABC 13 said in its news story.
Under federal guidelines, up to 18 months of COVID-related overdue and future rent is covered and anyone who received assistance before can reapply for additional help.
Anyone who would like assistance or more information may visit HoustonHarrisHelp.org for an application, details about eligibility requirements, frequently asked questions, a landlord directory and a status checker.