The City of Fort Worth to Officially Close the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) Portal After Successful Disbursement of Funds

FORT WORTH, Texas, March 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As of March 1, 2022, the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) has successfully disbursed $30,840,857 to eligible applicants and assisted 4,785 families. Since November 2021, the City of Fort Worth's ERAP program has averaged expenditures of $4.5 million per month, continuing the fight against the impacts of the pandemic within the city.

The City of Fort Worth partnered with Fort Worth Housing Solutions to disburse federal ERAP funds to help keep families in their homes and receive help with utility bills to counteract the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The number of applications currently in the ERAP portal exceeds the amount of available funds, and the City of Fort Worth has decided to close the ERAP portal and program on March 31, 2022.

To date, more than 1,900 applications currently are being reviewed by eligibility staff to determine applicants' eligibility. Families who applied prior to the deadline will still have an opportunity to receive assistance based upon their eligibility. However, new applications will only be accepted if the applicant has had an eviction filed against them in the courts.

For new applications to be considered tenants must provide:

• the eviction documents
• the court docket number
• and the Justice of the Peace (J.P.)/precinct number in section G of the application.

Funds are still available through other resources, and the city will direct applicants who cannot be helped by the city's ERAP program to those resources.

"The City of Fort Worth is wholly committed to its residents and has worked tirelessly to provide help to the community post-COVID-19. Our immediate focus is addressing the applications in the portal and directing applicants to other resources," said Terrance Jones of the City of Fort Worth Neighborhood Services.

The City of Fort Worth Neighborhood Services acknowledges any concern the closure of the ERAP portal may cause. However, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email [email protected] or call 817-392-7540 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. for more information.

About ERAP Program
The goal of this program is keeping families in their homes. Help is available for rent, past due rent, utilities, past due utility payments and other housing expenses resulting from the coronavirus outbreak. Funding was provided by the U.S. Treasury Department and the Texas Department of Housing & Community Affairs.

Contact Information:
City of Fort Worth Neighborhood Services
Terrance Jones
(817) – 614 – 5651
[email protected]

SOURCE City of Fort Worth