Alabama gave out just 8 percent of federal money meant to help renters (al.com)

[eppur_se_muova]

Updated: Sep. 30, 2021, 1:40 p.m. | Published: Sep. 30, 2021, 8:39 a.m.

By Sarah Whites-Koditschek | [e-mail]

The Alabama Housing Finance Authority has doled out just $22 million of the $267 million intended to help Alabama renters.

That’s about 8 percent of the state’s federal emergency rental assistance, state officials told concerned lawmakers at a committee meeting Wednesday.

“The metrics that we need to consider is more than just the amount we’ve distributed, it’s our efforts to move forward with this, to work with our applicants to get their information in as a part of the process,” said David Young, multifamily administrator with the Alabama Housing Finance Authority told the Legislative Oversight Committee Wednesday.

As of September, the state has reviewed 71,000 applicants, and deemed 44,000 not eligible for assistance. Alabama paid funds to just 3,307 applicants and 6,730 are approved but are still awaiting funds.

Alabama Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, urged the department to hire more people to process applications.
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more: https://www.al.com/news/2021/09/alabama-gave-out-just-8-percent-of-federal-money-meant-to-help-renters.html

[wryter2000]

1. Do these idiots realize

they're hurting landlords, too? I know they don't give a (bleep) about low income people, but I would think they'd care about landlords.

[moondust]

2. Now using COVID relief to build prisons.

Alabama GOP governor signs bills to use Covid-19 relief funds to build prisons into law

[Celerity]

6. +10000000000000000

[Wingus Dingus]

3. They should have been required to return federal money

that they didn't use for the intended purpose. It should have been written into the law.

[SWBTATTReg]

4. Why didn't Alabama residents sue the state, especially landlords and renters?

[RANDYWILDMAN]

5. This is a reason that people question whether the south has evolved

They did a great job not helping people in need..WTF and they did it on purpose.

Sounds like a dark place to live.