Name: The Texas rent relief program paid 250 people from a $1 billion fund. What went wrong?
Brand: houstonchronicle.com
SKU: houstonchronicle-com-627
Availability: OnlineOnly

critic

The Texas rent relief program paid 250 people from a $1 billion fund. What went wrong?

preview

The Texas rent relief program has paid out only 250 applicants out of its $1 billion fund, according to a scathing report from the Texas State House Committee on Urban Affairs.The report, first obtained by , was issued April 5 and details problems that applicants have complained about since the program’s inception: A complicated website, unstaffed phone lines and a lack of communication. The program is run through the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs.“Committee members are rightfully concerned that the assistance tens of thousands of Texans need is not getting to them,” committee staff wrote in the report. “Despite having applied, in many cases weeks ago, tenants remain anxious and stressed about the lack of approval or denial. Landlords, too, await decisions as rent goes uncollected or greatly reduced.”On HoustonChronicle.com:Most applications in the system, per the report, are at least 30 days old. As of March 31, more than 170,000 tenants had begun the application, and more than 72,000 had submitted the application. Just 0.14 percent of tenants who began the application have received money.“Reports represent a snapshot in time. The Texas Rent Relief program has made tremendous strides in our efforts to provide assistance to Texas renters in need, and we’re continuing to help more people each day,” Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs spokesperson Kristina Tirloni said in an email. “We are working hard to ensure Texans get access as quickly as possible.”The state rent relief program opened Feb. 15 and was plagued with accessibility issues almost since its inception. Tenants reported issues entering their phone numbers and salary, and had trouble accessing the website on their mobile phones. People tried to call the hotline but were placed on long holds and, upon leaving a message, didn’t hear back for days.On HoustonChronicle.com:“The call center was doing great,” said Bobby Wilkinson, executive director of the state housing department, at the agency’s March 11 board meeting.House committee staff tried calling the rent relief hotline in February. Staff waited for at least 20 minutes and hung up without getting anyone on the line.The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs has added more staffers to the phone lines. The agency reports that the average time on hold is now less than 3 minutes.On HoustonChronicle.com:The slow rollout of payments frustrated landlords and tenants alike.“We are going to start making payments this week,” said Wilkinson during March 3 testimony cited by the House report.But on the next Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs board meeting on March 11, the report says, Wilkinson said no payments had yet gone out.The agency twice updated its software to streamline the application and review process, but the backlog remains.“The software failures have created a backlog that has forced TDHCA to contract for 3 to 4 times the number of analysts initially hired,” the report reads. “Whether such actions will reduce the backlog quickly is yet to be determined.”The state rent relief program is separate from the joint City of Houston/Harris County rental assistance program. As of Tuesday morning, the city-county program has paid $18.7 million. Of its 44,476 applications, it has either pledged money to or paid 8,056 people.

The Texas rent relief program has paid out only 250 applicants out of its $1 billion fund, according to a scathing report from the Texas State House Committee on Urban Affairs.The report, first obtained by , was issued April 5 and details problems that applicants have complained about since the program’s inception: A complicated website, unstaffed phone lines and a lack of communication. The program is run through the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs.“Committee members are rightfully concerned that the assistance tens of thousands of Texans need is not getting to them,”...

The Texas rent relief program paid 250 people from a $1 billion fund. What went wrong?

No article scores yet.

CRITIC REVIEWS

PUBLIC REVIEWS