Philly's latest round of rent relief funding falls short of need
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Philadelphia has received the final influx of state and federal money the city requested for its emergency rental assistance program, according to a city email obtained by Axios.
- It's expected to last two weeks.
Why it matters: While the flow of money won't cover the need, it will help nearly 3,300 households whose applications to the city's cash-strapped rent relief program have already been approved.
State of play: The U.S. Treasury sent $8.3 million to Philly for its rent assistance program two weeks ago. Days later, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services distributed $9 million to the city.
Catch up fast: The city has provided more than $253 million in rental assistance to nearly 40,000 households since May 2020.
- Philadelphia requested a total of $485 million from the state and federal government last fall after the Treasury announced it wanted to reallocate billions in rent relief.
- In January, the city announced that it was shuttering its program due to low funds.
Details: The new funding will be directed to the backlog of applications from individuals who sought aid prior to the program closing in early January.
- Philly will give priority to applicants at risk of lockout and those participating in the city's eviction diversion program, the landlord-tenant mediation initiative that emerged in the pandemic as an alternative to court.
By the numbers: City staffers have completed reviewing about 70% of the more than 81,000 applications in the latest phase of the program.
- Of the roughly 56,000 reviewed this round, only about half have been approved, according to the city's dashboard, last updated Friday.
What's next: The city will disburse the funds until they're depleted, spokesperson Jamila Davis told Axios.
- After that, staff will still complete the review of all applications so that the city knows how many individuals are in need should it receive more funding in the future.
- Davis expects staff will complete the review of 9,000-10,000 applications in the final stages by mid-April.