Richland closes rent assistance applications as county pays out last remaining funds
In the past year, Richland County received more than $21 million through the federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program, according to Michaela Leung, a spokesperson for the county. Though more than $18 million has been distributed so far, some say they have faced long wait times in order to get those funds.
The State interviewed two tenants facing eviction who applied for the program in August but still have yet to receive the money. One has already been approved and the other is waiting for her letter of approval.
Leung said the county could not discuss individual cases, but that it typically takes four to six weeks for an application to be approved and another 21 working days for the money to be paid out.
“Applications that are incomplete or require additional research and documentation can take much longer depending on the volume of completed applications already in the application queue and vulnerability priority ranking based on Area Median Income (AMI), employment status, and living conditions,” she said.
According to the county’s website, Richland is no longer accepting new applications, “because of the success of the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) and limited availability of remaining funds.”
Leung also outlined several changes the county made to the program in an effort to speed up the application process. Improvements include:
Collaborating with the Richland Library’s social workers and Richland County’s Government Community Services to assist citizens with the application process and provide ongoing assistance and navigation through the process.
Instituting a payment courier system to get checks in the mail and delivered to recipients quicker.
Assigning additional county personnel to correspond with applicants about their case status and work with caseworkers to resolve backlog issues.
“We have learned a lot during this process and continue to look for ways to improve the process to get money in the hands of those that need it most,” Leung said.
