NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — UPDATE: Jarethea Bagwell's funding has arrived!
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Tennessee received millions of dollars from the federal government to keep residents from being evicted during the pandemic. The money is there, but people are still waiting for help.
It's a problem NewsChannel 5 has been covering for months. During the pandemic, times were tough for a lot of people.
"It’s just families out here they’re just going without," Jarethea Bagwell said. "I initially signed up for THDA because I went through a financial hardship last year, where I was just working like Uber and Door Dash trying to make ends meet. It was brought to my attention that maybe you can get assistance through these people, so I said, 'hey let’s try and go for it.'"
On Jan. 6, the COVID-19 rent relief portal closed through the Tennessee Housing Development Agency. And on April 6, some renters like Bagwell still haven’t received the emergency funding.
"I feel like I’m failing my boys — like at the end of the day, I feel like I am all that I have," Bagwell said.
Recently, she's been struggling with high blood pressure.
"I just suppose it’s because I’m stressing about this issue. I do not have a place for me and my boys to go," Bagwell said.
Now, she has a job at a local elementary school but is struggling to pay off her back rent. She's facing eviction as a single mom. Her apartment complex has given them an extension, but they can only wait on the rent relief funding for so long. THDA said they're working with their contractor, Horne, on the backlog.
Tennessee has received its ERA1 and ERA2 funds from the U.S. Treasury Department, officials said. There are no pending payments from the Treasury to Tennessee.
"I am very frustrated because if we can’t depend on the government to help us when we need this assistance, then where do we go? Who do we turn to?" she said.
She said her complex has given her until April 14 but she doesn't think she will get the money in time.
