Some of Region’s Most Trusted Nonprofits Recruited to Assist Vulnerable Populations, as Program Begins Distributing Aid
As a new source of rental assistance begins helping local families, several nonprofits have been appointed by the City of Houston and Harris County and will soon start helping additional people apply for the new $159 million Houston-Harris County Emergency Rental Assistance Program. The navigator agencies will eliminate potential challenges some renters may find in the application process, such as being unfamiliar with technology, lacking reliable internet, and language barriers.
The navigator agencies will include The Alliance for Multicultural Community Services (a.k.a. The Alliance), Chinese Community Center, Hope Disaster Recovery, Humble Area Assistance Ministries (HAAM), East Harris County Empowerment Council, Houston Area Urban League, Memorial Assistance Ministries (MAM), Northwest Assistance Ministries (NAM), and YMCA of Greater Houston. As agencies begin their outreach efforts, they will be added to HoustonHarrisHelp.org.
“This is an excellent example of the Houston spirit: neighbor helping neighbor,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner. “These organizations have deep roots in our community—they have been here many years, helping day in and day out, and they always answer the call during Houston’s times of need. The outreach program will ensure that Houston’s vulnerable populations will have access to critical resources and not get left behind.”
“Too often, those with limited access to information or technology end up at the back of the line or unaware a line even exists,” said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. “These navigator agencies, well-known in the communities they serve, will function as a familiar lifeline for those who have borne the brunt of COVID’s impacts. Their deep experience in case management and outreach will ensure families staggered by job losses, housing instability, and medical bills benefit from the latest emergency assistance program.”
BakerRipley and Catholic Charities, the program’s co-administrators, are responsible for reviewing applications and issuing payments, while the navigator agencies will specifically serve the community’s most vulnerable families in five ways: raising awareness (e.g., by phone, in-person, social media, and/or neighborhood outreach); assisting tenants with the application process (understanding eligibility criteria, gathering and scanning the required documents); preventing evictions by helping families file their CDC moratorium declaration, if applicable; providing language assistance and translation services if needed; and connecting families to wrap-around services (e.g., healthcare, childcare, employment and educational resources, and nutrition services).
This model has been employed by the City and County during previous crises. The process provides boots-on-the-ground case management across the whole region, supports marginalized populations, promotes long-term relationships between families and localized agencies, and splits up the case load to prevent capacity issues for agencies already handling increased client needs due to COVID.
The agencies all have proven expertise in helping families during times of crisis; their staffs can provide multi-lingual outreach; and their collective locations provide coverage across all of Harris County (including City of Houston).
Currently, over 33,000 tenant applications have been received and almost 10,000 landlords have enrolled, representing over 18,000 property locations. (Statistics current as of March 9, 2021.)
The program is being sourced by new federal funds allocated to the City and County and will help local families struggling to make ends meet due to pandemic-related hardship. Qualifying families can receive as much as 14 months of rent relief and some utility payments. Tenants and landlords alike can visit HoustonHarrisHelp.org to view the eligibility requirements and FAQs, submit documents, and find other resources. In addition, tenants can call 832-402-7568 to ask questions Monday–Friday 9am–6pm and Saturday 10am–2pm.
Per U.S. Treasury guidelines, most payments will be made directly to landlords instead of tenants. This will reduce the wait time for past-due rent to be paid and will also help protect tenants from eviction, legal action, and late fees.
The program prioritizes applicants in the lowest income bracket and those who have been unemployed for at least 90 days. It is not running on a first-come/first-served basis, and qualifying applications are being randomly selected, for maximum fairness. As with other COVID relief programs, being selected is not a guarantee of funds since selected applications must be reviewed to confirm eligibility and other compliance requirements. Renters living in Houston or Harris County, regardless of status, are welcome to apply if they can demonstrate need, COVID-related impact on their employment, and proof of income below the minimum threshold.