New Orleans officials accelerating efforts to get residents rental assistance
The City of New Orleans is accelerating efforts to get rental assistance money into the hands of those who applied for it.
By Heath Allen
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NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (WDSU) — Many New Orleans renters are just weeks away before the final extension of the eviction moratorium ends, which could mean hundreds if not thousands could be forced out of their homes.
The City of New Orleans is accelerating efforts to get rental assistance money into the hands of those who applied for it.
The city is bringing in outside assistance to help move the approval process along.
City officials are urging residents who are facing eviction at the end of the month to have backup plans just in case.
The city’s rental assistance program has already received $11.6 million from the United States Treasury to fund the program, and more money is coming.
An estimated $42 million is expected from the state and federal government.
Only $11.6 million is available to date, and over 1,400 applicants have been approved for around $8 million.
“We’ve got to make sure that third-party processing vendor is in place, so that we can have enough people to process those applications,” said New Orleans Councilwoman Cyndi Nyguen. “We want to make sure people are applying to the program and providing as much document as they can so that way they can justify their application. And we got to get the money out. We got to get the money out to our landlords. We got to get the money out to our renters, so that way people are not in fear of losing housing.”
The city’s website says it has funding to assist about 1,500 households, but is processing up to 3,500 applications in anticipation of additional money.
City officials urge renters to work with landlords on payment plays or other ways to cover back due rent.
Those who have applied for rental assistance are encouraged to have all documentation ready for processing.
Landlords are also urged to work with tenants for extensions and payment plans as much as possible.
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