DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DHA, Housing Solutions for North Texas announced today that it has been selected to help facilitate a distribution of rent relief funds by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. DHA is authorized to distribute up to $19 million in funding through the program.
The City of Dallas COVID-19 Rent Relief program, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, is a federally funded initiative designed to help low-income households and people who have been adversely affected during the COVID-19 pandemic through loss of employment income or who sustained a reduction in income and are delinquent in paying rent. DHA is administering a rent relief program only.
Through the program, DHA can provide up to 18 months of rental assistance to applicants and landlords. Applications can be submitted via online portal from a computer, tablet or other mobile device. Assistance is provided as a grant and is not a loan to be repaid.
This is the second distribution of federal rent relief funds from DHA granted through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP). Individuals that received assistance from the 2020-2021 ERAP disbursement are eligible for monthly assistance less the number of months they received assistance during the first distribution. For example, if an applicant received three months of rent assistance in 2020-21, they are eligible for 15 months of support in 2022-23.
To qualify for the latest assistance, residents must:
- Live in the City of Dallas
- Have been adversely affected during the COVID-19 pandemic, either through job loss or lost income
- Have a current household annual income at or below 80% of the area median income
- Be at risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability (e.g., received eviction notice, have past-due rent, or are living in an unstable housing situation)
- Be a citizen or eligible non-citizen
- Be renting (cannot be the owner of a property)
A person is NOT eligible for this program, if he/she:
- Lives outside the City of Dallas
- Makes above 80% of the area median income
- Is a City employee and/or is an immediate family member of a City employee
- Is a DHA employee and/or is an immediate family member of a DHA employee
- Lives in a household where the residents are living in units owned by an immediate family member (defined as persons related by blood, marriage or adoption including a spouse, parent, stepparent, child, stepchild, brother, sister, stepbrother or stepsister, grandparent, grandchild and in-laws)
Applicants must submit a completed application with supporting documentation. DHA will conduct an open enrollment for this program accepting applications beginning now until funds are fully allocated or the deadline of December 31, 2023.
Additional information on the process and how to prepare to apply can be found at: https://dallasrentrelief.com/
About DHA, Housing Solutions for North Texas (formerly the Dallas Housing Authority)
DHA, Housing Solutions for North Texas provides quality, affordable housing to low-income families and individuals through the effective and efficient administration of housing assistance programs. The agency aims to create opportunities for program participants to achieve self-sufficiency and economic independence. DHA provides housing opportunities to 55,700 people through public housing developments and Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) programs. Our mission is to provide affordable quality housing and access to supportive resources across North Texas. DHA is governed by its Board of Commissioners and administers housing programs funded and regulated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. DHA is an independent, local government entity that is separate from the Dallas City Housing/Community Services department, which is governed by the City of Dallas. For more information about DHA, please visit www.dhantx.com.
