Tarrant County might cut red tape to make it easier for you to get help with your rent
Tarrant County is considering a plan to make it easier for people to apply for rent assistance, just as the state program closes to new applicants.
If commissioners approve the change during their meeting Tuesday, the process will be simplified and fewer documents will be required in alignment with U.S. Treasury guidance, according to agenda documents.
The Tarrant County application currently requires a valid ID and income documentation like 2020 tax returns, paycheck stubs and three months of bank statements.
The Treasury Department guidance said applicants should not have to submit more documentation than what’s needed to process their application.
The state program came under fire last week for not informing judges about its closure to new applicants. Officials have said requests for funding are exceeding what is available. The program has distributed more than $1.2 billion in assistance statewide.
More than $152 million has been distributed in rent assistance in Fort Worth, Arlington and Tarrant County, according to data presented to county commissioners during Nov. 2 meeting. Only 16% has been given out through local programs. Fort Worth has distributed more than $16.1 million, Tarrant $6.1 million and Arlington $3.2 million.
On Monday, rent assistance offices for the county and city of Fort Worth were already starting to feel the strain left by the state program’s absence as calls and emails poured in for help. Officials from Arlington’s rent assistance program did not immediately return a phone call for comment Monday afternoon.
Terrance Jones, Fort Worth’s interim neighborhood services manager, said his office has added four more people to answer phone calls from those seeking assistance.
Jones has started sorting through applications to help his staff keep up and was interviewing for assistants on Monday. Tarrant County plans to add two people to its office.
The concern among people emailing the county, Assistant County Administrator Kristen Camareno said, was about their state applications and if the county could assist them given the portal’s closure. Applicants cannot receive aid from the state and the county or city at the same time.
“With this new change, we’re obviously trying to do everything we can to make sure that nobody falls through the cracks who has been previously served by the state,” Camareno said. “So we’re going to revisit our policy on state duplication and see what we can do to try to facilitate kind of a transfer of those people over to our program, but it’s a lot easier said than done.”
To get an applications processed as quickly as possible, Jones advised applicants to make sure their applications were complete and that they made it clear they were affected by COVID.
The average wait time for Fort Worth’s program varies. Those who are about to have cases heard in eviction court will have a high priority, as well as those who are behind on rent, Jones said. On average, those applying to Fort Worth’s program may hear back within three to six weeks.
But now that the state program isn’t an option for new applicants, Jones believes the wait time may increase in eight weeks, which may in turn delay assistance.
The easiest way to apply for assistance, Jones and Camareno said, is online. To apply to rent assistance programs in Fort Worth, Tarrant and Arlington, visit the county’s website or go to getrenthelp.com.
This story was originally published November 9, 2021 at 5:30 AM.
