Starting this week, Texans can apply for rental assistance aid under the new Texas Rent Relief Program.
Last week, Gov. Greg Abbott announced that the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs has launched the program, the first of its kind in Texas. The program was created to administer more than $1 billion allocated to Texas through the federal COVID-19 stimulus bill passed in December. Part of the money will also fund a planned expansion of an eviction diversion program in Texas.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a significant financial strain on many Texans, and the Texas Rent Relief Program will provide an incredible lifeline to households in need of assistance on their rent and utility payments,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement.
How to Apply
Applicants can submit their application by calling 833-989-7386 or submitting it at TexasRentRelief.com. The call center will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The agency has set up a call center with nearly 200 operators to help answer questions and process assistance in multiple languages, including English and Spanish.
The agency also plans to assess each applicant’s eligibility and notify them via a yet-to-be-launched online dashboard. If renters believe they were incorrectly denied assistance, they’ll be able to appeal.
Who Qualifies
Households must be at or below 80 percent of the area median income, qualified for unemployment, and prove their inability to pay rent is directly related to the pandemic.
According to its guidelines, TDHCA will prioritize applications for households at or below 50 percent of the area median income level and households in which one or more members are unemployed and have been for at least 90 days.
In Dallas, a household of three earning $38,800 a year or less would qualify for prioritized funding. The state recommends that renters in the priority group apply before Feb. 28.
A Dallas household of three earning up to $62,100 would meet the threshold to qualify, but would not be considered part of the priority group.
Landlords are also encouraged to apply on behalf of tenants, who must co-sign the application. Landlords must prepare several documents including a government-issued ID, a rental or lease agreement, completed IRS form W-9, household certification form, and household income documentation.
What’s Covered
Renters can seek funding for past due rent, utility, and home energy expenses dating back to March 13, 2020. Qualifying renters are also able to request assistance for those same expenses up to three months into the future.
Utility expenses covered include electricity, gas, water and sewer, trash removal, and energy costs. Telephone, cable, and internet service costs are not covered.
The State of Dallas Housing Insecurity
Dallas-Fort Worth had the third-highest level of housing insecurity, trailing only New York and Detroit, according to a U.S. Census survey. Ten percent of D-FW residents are behind on rent or mortgage payments and aren’t confident they’ll be able to pay the next month’s rent or mortgage payments on time.
Dallas had the nation’s 11th-best payment rate with 87.5 percent paying on time, according to Richardson-based RealPage and the National Multifamily Housing Council’s Rent Payment Tracker.
Fort Worth ranked seventh with 88.2 percent of on-time renters. Nationally, 79.2 percent of households paid their rent for February through Feb. 6.
