NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Advocates have been scrambling to help as renters and non-profits wait for emergency rent relief funding from the Tennessee Housing Development Agency.
Some renters still owe back rent due to missed payments during the pandemic. That's why emergency rent relief was sent to the state to help. But here in Tennessee, there's a backlog in getting it distributed.
NewsChannel 5's Alexandra Koehn has been tracking the delays for months.
For background, THDA was awarded millions from the federal government for emergency COVID-19 rent relief. They hired a contractor, Horne, for more than $26 million to distribute the money 'timely and accurately' according to their scope of services. But that hasn't happened for all renters according to Julie Yriart. She’s with the Hispanic Bar Association and the Eviction Right to Counsel Project.
“But even after money is awarded, we’re still seeing processing time of like 14 to 21 days to get the checks mailed out, the problem with that is— if you’re evicted and you move out, and sometimes the checks are going to the wrong place, because people aren’t aware that they need to go back into their application and update their address,” Yriart said.
Yriart has intervened numerous times. She'll call for tenants to find out— where’s the money at?
“I think it’s unfortunate that a program with such positive goals, and a program that really does have a wonderful impact, had all of these hurdles," Yriart said.
In addition, she said the application period for the second round of rent relief ended abruptly.
"It would have been really nice if we got more notice of that closure, it’s our understanding that there were applications filed with the original deadline that still haven’t been processed which means that those people were not eligible for that second round of funding," she added.
Another non-profit helper you can find at eviction court is Jackie Sims, the Executive Director of People’s Alliance for Transit, Housing, and Employment. They’re partnering with an organization still waiting on a large chunk of funds from THDA too.
"And then it was pushed to June, and then we got information that it would be July, and when I went into my office yesterday, I saw a letter where we’re looking tentatively at August now," Sims said.
For now, they'll continue to wait.
"My hope is that we will secure the funds as quickly as possible because there is an extraordinary level of need," Sims said.
NewsChannel 5 has been requesting on-camera interviews with both Horne and THDA for an update on what's happening behind the scenes.
