Emergency Rental Assistance Spending and Performance Trends
Washington, DC – The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) released today Emergency Rental Assistance Spending and Performance Trends, a report on the progress of the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA1) programs in their distribution of funds appropriated under the 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act. This report analyzes ERA1 grantee spending progress, describes Treasury’s reallocation process for ERA1 grantees, and provides recommendations to ERA administrators and Treasury to best serve low-income renters.
The report finds that while some grantees quickly mobilized to establish or expand ERA programs and others made course corrections to improve program performance, many ERA grantees continue to exhibit slow spending, reaching few renter households in need within their states and jurisdictions.
“This uneven performance, nine months after Treasury allocated ERA1 funds to state and local grantees, will require action by both Treasury and ERA program administrators to ensure low-income renters have access to much needed assistance to remain stably housed,” said NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel. “There are proven ways for ERA programs to expedite assistance. States, cities and counties must do more, better and faster to get rental assistance to tenants in need and to otherwise protect tenants from the long-term harm of eviction.”
Low-spending ERA program grantees are at risk of having some of their ERA funding recaptured and reallocated. Treasury’s recently initiated funding recapture and reallocation process must follow three guiding principles: (1) reallocate funds to grantees that are utilizing best practices and quickly getting assistance to households in need; (2) reallocate funds to jurisdictions with high levels of need by considering the number of low-income renters and people experiencing homelessness, populations that are disproportionately people of color; and (3) ensure renters across all jurisdictions maintain access to ERA.
The full Emergency Rental Assistance Spending and Performance Trends is available at: https://bit.ly/3n0Kkym
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About the National Low Income Housing Coalition
The National Low Income Housing Coalition is dedicated solely to achieving socially just public policy that ensures people with the lowest incomes in the United States have affordable and decent homes. NLIHC educates, organizes, and advocates to ensure decent, affordable housing for everyone. For more information about NLIHC, please visit www.nlihc.org