Nearly $100M available for Texas rent relief. Here’s how and when to apply

Nearly $100 million remains to help Texans with rent relief caused by the pandemic. The application portal opens Tuesday and closes two weeks later on March 28.

Prioritizing those facing evictions, the Texas Rent Relief program provides first-time applicants assistance with up to 18 months of rent and utility bills, according to texasrentrelief.com.

“Limited funds are available. Applications will be processed in the order received, prioritizing those facing evictions,” the website stated.

Funded by the federal government, the rent relief program launched as a pilot program in fall 2020. By the following year it had gone statewide, with the aim of providing emergency rental assistance to landlords whose tenants have been impacted by the pandemic.

The program abruptly closed in November of 2021 because it had run out of money. The portal’s closure caused consternation in North Texas courts tasked with settling eviction cases. Program officials had not informed the courts of the portal’s closure.

In Tarrant County, the program has given over $155 million in rent assistance and nearly $100 million helping tenants pay rent owed, according to a program overview. Applicants in the county received an average of $7,119 in assistance.