Clayton County said on Friday it was temporarily pausing applications for its rental assistance program after the portal for the program was overwhelmed.
The county had planned events for its Emergency Rental Assistance Program this past Saturday, but scrapped them “due to the high volume of applications.”
Clayton is trying to distribute $6.5 million in federal funds allocated for the program to aid residents negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“A large number of residents participated in our three-day emergency rental assistance event for eviction, homeless, or utility assistance,” Clayton County Operations Officer Detrick Stanford said in a release Friday. “The Clayton County Board of Commissioners is committed to helping these families remain sheltered.”
The county said that representatives from Clayton County Community Services Authority, Project Real Life, and Melanated Pearl Corporation will assist Clayton County’s Office of Performance Management to process more than 10,000 applications for rental, utility or housing stability assistance.
“Application processing is underway for all residents that applied prior to December 15, 2022, to determine their final status,” the county said.
The county suggested resident monitor Residents are encouraged to monitor relief.claytoncountyga.gov and Clayton government social media to learn when the ERAP portal will reopen.
“Our non-profit partners are working with us to ensure applications are processed quickly,” Stanford said. “We will continue to monitor the program to determine when future applications can be accepted.”
