DeKalb gets additional $14.8M for rental assistance

DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond is defending his handling of an internal audit of the watershed department

DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond is defending his handling of an internal audit of the watershed department

DeKalb County has accepted another $14.8 million in federal rental assistance funds.

The new funding, provided through the second version of the federal Emergency Rental Assistance program, was approved Tuesday by DeKalb commissioners. The vote came shortly after the county exhausted the more than $21.6 million it originally received in rent and utility assistance funds.

“We are continuing to support our citizens who need support in maintaining safe, affordable housing,” DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond said.

Thurmond and county COO Zach Williams said Tuesday the new funding would go primarily to the existing Tenant-Landlord Assistance Coalition, which they said has thus far helped more than 2,600 families during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was not immediately clear if applications for the TLAC program would be reopened. The county paused new applications last month as the first batch of federal funding began to run out.

Officials said at the time that more than 5,700 applications remained outstanding.

For more information on DeKalb’s TLAC program, visit www.dekalbcountyga.gov/renthelp or call 404-371-3201.

Residents can also apply to a statewide rental assistance program by visiting www.georgiarentalassistance.ga.gov or calling 833-827-7368.