Renters in Atlanta will soon be able to apply for a fresh batch of housing relief funds intended to keep people in their homes following the end of the federal eviction moratorium.
United Way of Greater Atlanta is set to reopen online applications for rent relief in the coming weeks, officials said, thanks to federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program grants totaling about $12 million.
With the backing of the City Council and Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ office, the city is continuing to work with United Way to disperse the funds. The council voted to approve the new round of funding on Monday.
It’s the third wave of federal rental relief funding the city has received. The first round, totaling $22 million, assisted 6,000 households, according to United Way. The city has dispersed almost 90% of the second batch, which totals $13.7 million; it has gone to over 2,100 families so far.
The latest rent relief program is estimated to help around 2,000 households, according to Protip Biswas, who runs the homelessness initiatives for United Way. The amount that will be available to renters is determined on a case-by-case basis, Biswas said.
When the city’s rent relief program began about a year ago, it got off to a slow start, with strict federal documentation requirements and bureaucratic steps slowing down the process. Biswas said United Way has been able to become more flexible while still following the federal mandates.
“With the evictions starting, we are concerned that this needs to be timely,” he said. “We know people need the money.”
Applicants must live in Atlanta city limits, have experienced a loss of income because of COVID-19, make less than 80% of the area median income ($68,950 for a family of four) and be at risk of experiencing homelessness. Renters who live inside or outside of Atlanta can also apply for the state’s $552 million rental assistance program.
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