Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) programs are increasingly sharing real-time data to show progress on how much funding has been disbursed, what it is being used for, and who is receiving it. NLIHC maintains a list of these publicly available dashboards. While some dashboards contain only high-level spending information, others have expanded the data they report, opening opportunities for further research and program evaluation. Program dashboards can ensure transparency, maintain program accountability, and build trust. They can also inform mid-course corrections and promote equitable program design and delivery. Examples of innovative dashboards include Allegheny County, PA, the State of Maryland, and the State of California.
Allegheny County’s interactive dashboard contains data comparing program applicants to the overall population, showing how applicant need has changed over time and detailing application processing and payment times reported by the day. The dashboard shows, for example, that Black head of households made up 57.7% of ERA applicants and that Black head of households made up 59% of ERA payees. The dashboard compares this to Allegheny County’s overall population, which is 80% white and 13% Black. These data illustrate the well-documented trend that Black households have faced disproportionate economic hardship amid COVID-19 and highlight the need for equity-based policy solutions. The dashboard breaks down the number of applications received each day since the program opened and the percentage of applicants who have received a payment. This information is valuable to assess application backlogs, processing times, and improvements over time.
The State of Maryland recently published a dashboard that breaks down spending by funding allocated to counties from the state and funding allocated to counties directly from the Department of the Treasury. This provides a fuller picture of how well programs are operating in a decentralized system, because performance varies widely from county to county. The dashboard includes outreach metrics, including the number of postcards sent, the number of commercials aired, the number of views on google and social media ads, and the number of households assisted through the call center.
The State of California provides demographic data on applicants’ gender, race, ethnicity, age, and income, and allows users to view data for each of these by county or city. This information is helpful to understand on a more granular local level how ERA is working, including who is served and who is left out. Such geographically disaggregated data can allow local advocates and administrators to assess progress specific to their context and course-correct accordingly. For example, if a high-need city has relatively few submitted applications, this could point to the need for increased outreach in that area.
At minimum, dashboards should contain basic information on the amount of funding approved and distributed, the number of households that have applied, and the distribution of an application’s status in the application process (denied, in process, approved). Dashboards should also contain the date of the most recent update. Additional innovations like those profiled here can help administrators and advocates assess how efficiently and equitably their programs are functioning.