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TOPEKA – Olathe residents Sheryl and Gary Evert were among the thousands of Kansans struggling to pay their rent during the COVID-19 pandemic.
They ultimately sought help under the Kansas Emergency Rental Assistance Program authorized by Congress and funded by federal coronavirus relief legislation. As part of KERA, the Kansas Housing Resource Corporation, or KHRC, has provided $ 41.5 million in rental, utility and internet assistance to 7,800 eligible households across the state since March.
“My wife Sheryl and I are 70 years old, and before we got our KERA funding life was really stressful,†said Gary Evert. “We didn’t know when we would be able to pay our landlord, but we were patient. “
He said his questions about the application process were answered by KHRC staff operating from a processing center in Topeka.
Breathe, she said, because it will take several breaths before your request is processed. “We’re all nervous, but when someone can calm you down and give you a sense of hope, it’s very heartwarming,” said Gary Evert.
Heartbreaking
Members of the Kansas legislature have expressed concern over the pace of federal funds being transferred to those at risk of deportation. During much of the pandemic, state or federal warrants have protected people from being forced from their homes. These bans have expired.
Sen. Rick Billinger, a Republican from Goodland who chairs the Senate Budget Committee, said he was concerned about the number of desperate people who could not access emergency financial assistance through the State. He said state agencies should have been more nimble in responding to the needs of the Kansans during the pandemic.
“It’s heartbreaking when we get emails… from people who can’t get unemployment. They are losing their home. They lose their car. They sleep in sheds. They are raising their children. It is terrible. We have all this money and all these programs, â€Billinger said.
Representatives of homeless aid organizations have argued that more COVID-19 relief should have gone to people who became homeless before the pandemic or lost their homes during the public health crisis. Questions have also been raised about the state government’s modest commitment to the homeless before the pandemic.
Capacity Building
Ryan Vincent, executive director of the Kansas Housing Resource Corporation, said Kansas received a total of $ 300 million in congressional funding for rent assistance under KERA. Congress authorized the aid program until 2025.
He said the national housing agency had launched a marketing campaign to share information about KERA through traditional media, social media, television, radio and print media. New software had to be developed and acquired to process document-heavy applications. The state-owned housing corporation had around 40 employees at the start of the pandemic, but has added 120 people to handle KERA-related work.
Few payments to tenants or landlords were made within two months of the start of the program in March. The majority of rental relief payments in Kansas were sent in the past two months.
“It takes time to build capacity, to train, to make sure people know the complex federal rules,†Vincent said. “Essentially, there is an almost exponential growth in our rate of processing these payments. We distribute between $ 2 million and $ 3 million per week to approximately 500 households.
It is estimated that 14,000 to 28,000 households in Kansas were behind on rent or at risk of eviction. The state housing corporation served more than 7,800 households, 3,200 landlords and 22o utility companies during the pandemic.
It is too early to assess the success of the program because no one yet knows how many families will be saved from the eviction and how many homeowners will be cured, Vincent said. Also, he said, KERA’s measure shouldn’t be the percentage of $ 300 million already kicked out.
“Imagine someone giving you all the money in your grocery store until 2025, then criticizing you for spending only a portion today. Your answer would rightly be that you have grocery bills until 2025, â€he said.
Not “heartless”
Prior to the creation of KERA, the state set aside $ 18 million in federal COVID-19 emergency funding for a temporary rental assistance program that ran from October to December 2020. This process The demand for this aid was less stringent than the current program, Vincent said.
He said it was disappointing that KHRC staff had been described as “nameless and heartless bureaucrats” who did not feel the urgency of channeling KERA funding to households.
“I can’t imagine a more mission-oriented and caring group of people dedicated to helping Kansans facing deportation than the one I have the honor to work with on my team at KHRC,” said Vincent. “Unfortunately, while we are working as hard as possible to deal with the evictions that exist, we can only use these dollars for qualifying evictions. If they don’t have a COVID-related hardship, if they don’t qualify for income, if they can’t provide us with proof of residency, under federal rules we can’t finance their demand. “
He said Kansas had an underlying and systematic housing problem that was exacerbated by the pandemic. Kansas lawmakers should consider post-pandemic opportunities to work on the state’s lack of affordable housing, he said.
KERA lifeline
Mulvane owner Zach Storm said the KERA program, which helps people pay their rent as well as expenses related to electricity, gas, water, sewer and garbage services, has been effective in alleviating the financial trauma of eligible households. Landlords with tenants behind on rent payments should turn to KERA, he said.
“I have told my late renters that I am not going to evict you as long as you apply to the KERA program. A lot of them are having children, and this pandemic is something no one expected, â€Storm said. “I’m doing what’s best for them and for me by getting them to apply. “
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