500+ Sign Up For Tuscaloosa County Rental Assistance Program

TUSCALOOSA, AL ? More than 500 people have already signed up for the Tuscaloosa County Emergency Rental Assistance Program after the online application portal went live a little more than a week ago. On Wednesday, the Tuscaloosa County Commission voted to implement a set of standard operating procedures for the program, to keep it in line with regulations and other comparable models.

Assistant County Administrator David Howell said, as of Wednesday, 535 applications have been initiated, with five already being approved for payments. He went on to also explain that several applications had already been denied and three had been withdrawn.

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As Patch previously reported, the program is made possible by an approximately $6 million allocation to the county from the federal emergency rental assistance program, which will be doled out through the county's program with little to no fiscal impact to local coffers. The option is also available to residents of Northport and the City of Tuscaloosa.

Howell then said if a Tuscaloosa County tenant has already applied to the state's rental assistance program, they now have the option to withdraw their application and enter the Tuscaloosa County program. However, he cautioned against it for the sake of expediency.

"If they move to our program, they will be at the back of the line," he said. "I would recommend that the citizen or tenant stay with the state system. They run the risk of it taking longer."

With respect to action taken on Wednesday by the Commission, Howell said the federal government requires the county to adopt a set of standard operating procedures. The guidelines were developed, he said, to also be aligned with those in place for the Alabama Housing Finance Authority and Montgomery County Commission.

"This allows consistency and allows the state the easiest way to look for duplication of benefits if anyone tries to do that," Howell said.

At one point, District 4 Commissioner Reginald Murray referenced a "real-life situation" involving a citizen who came to the Commission requesting assistance. Like many, the individual is facing a looming eviction if they are not able to get the necessary financial help to stay in their home.

"We have an individual who was at one of our meetings who applied through the state portal, while we were in negotiations of awarding the contract [to administer the program]," he said. "That individual is facing a Friday eviction deadline."

In closing, Murray asked Howell to contact the program's administrator ? Horne LLC ? to check on the status of the tenant's application to help fast-track the process so the family can avoid eviction.

As Patch previously reported, eligible participants in the program include landlords with tenants behind on rental payments who satisfy program criteria and qualifying tenants who are behind on their residential rental payments. Unpaid rent or utility bills covered by the program can go no further back than March 13, 2020, which is in line with when the economic downturn from the pandemic began.

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