As of the federal government’s last count, Georgia’s DCA ranked 12th slowest among state agencies across the U.S. in terms of divvying up the rent funds it’s been given, according to Treasury data. Other states like North Carolina have pushed out their funding far faster than Georgia, with the Tar Heel State having pumped out more than 80% of its $522 million allocation by the end of October, records show. Likewise, even local cities and counties such as Atlanta and Gwinnett have moved quicker to pay out their own shares of the federal rent money – and they potentially could nab some of DCA’s unspent funds in the coming weeks.
Illustration by Brittney Phan (State Affairs)
Illustration by Brittney Phan (State Affairs)
Key points
- Georgia ranks 12th-slowest among states for paying out $552 million in federal COVID-19 rental assistance that must be spent or given to other states.
- Only $57 million— roughly 10% — had been distributed between April and mid-December even as state officials spent more than $11 million on internal costs.
- The federal government could give millions of Georgia’s rent-assistance dollars to other states to spend on their residents if local officials don’t use it soon.