Approvals for pandemic-related rental assistance continue to drag

The Wake County Housing Justice Coalition and other advocacy groups are pushing House Wake! to speed up the application process and get money to tenants facing eviction because they're past due on their rent.

"As frustrated as I am with the program because the program hasn’t performed as well as I want it to perform, I’m still willing to try to give it the good ol' try to push it out," said Wanda Hunter, a member of the coalition.

House Wake! has approved only 2,529 rental assistance applications since March, while another 8,113 remain in process. The program has disbursed $35.5 million of its $100 million in federal aid.

The issue isn't unique to Wake County. Johnston County officials have paid out only $2.6 million of the aid and still have $9.1 million available.

Deputy director Ismelda Rosario said House Wake! launched a new online portal last month to speed the application process by allowing landlords and tenants to upload the necessary documentation instead of trying to collect everything by hand. But she acknowledged that the changeover has actually slowed the process down.

"It is a process, and sometimes, based on documentation and the amount of applications, it can take time," Rosario said. "We are really positive that we can go through the process a little bit more smoothly now with the new system."

"It’s a lot of urgency now. They’re desperate. They want to get things done immediately," she said.

To help those desperate tenants, advocacy groups will host an eviction clinic from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday at the Wake County Human Services office, at 220 Swinburne St. People can receive one-on-one assistance to apply for rental aid and make sure they have all of the documents they need to move their applications through the process.

"We need people to come and get this money," Hunter said. "We’re going to try ... to get this money pushed out to people who are in need."

"If you need the help, make the effort to receive what’s available," said Rev. Stanley Byrd, president of the Raleigh Interdenominational Ministry, which is assisting with the clinic.

"If you have all the documents you need, they’re going to do everything in their power to provide you the help you need. That’s our hope and expectation with this clinic," Byrd said. "These resources are available for a short period of time, and we don’t want them to go unused."

The federal aid must be spent by September 2025, Rosario said.

The online platform also will allow landlords and tenants to track the progress of individual applications, she said.