Part V: Is All Hands on Deck Enough?
- 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.
To beef up its assistance program, DCA had spent more than $11.2 million of its $552-million funding share through November on internal costs, mostly to hire temporary staff for processing applications, records show. The agency had about 125 workers for the assistance program in mid-December, less than half as many as North Carolina’s program that has paid out roughly $420 million of its total $522 million in rent payments. Staffing up early was key for North Carolina to overcome similar technical glitches and processing bottlenecks that Georgia has faced, said Laura Hogshead, the chief operating officer for the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency.
Even with the extra help, problems cropped up early in DCA’s program as processors would approve applications, only to have them stall with managers who double-check information for accuracy and underwriters who green-light the payments, said Leona Davis, a Gwinnett County resident who worked as a temporary DCA staffer from February to May.
“It was just overall chaotic and disorganized,” Davis said in an interview with State Affairs. “I’m a helpful person in heart. And it’s very frustrating and infuriating when you have a system that’s built to help people, but it was just so convoluted and flawed.”
Many staff for Georgia's rental assistance program work at the James H. "Sloppy" Floyd Building in Atlanta. (Credit: Beau Evans for State Affairs)
Going forward, DCA officials plan to hire an outside group to help weed out duplicate applications and fraud, increase part-time staff to work evening and weekend shifts, and expand outreach efforts with in-house and contracted marketing teams to raise awareness about how to apply. DCA had already spent more than $2.3 million on marketing, public relations and advertising for the program by December, state records show.
Many Georgia tenants and landlords just want DCA to keep them better informed about the status of their rent applications. Darion Dunn, a managing partner for the Atlanta-based real estate group Atlantica Properties, said the slow application turnaround and uncertainty creates friction between tenants strapped for money and landlords who need the rent.
“That’s what can lead to outcomes that aren’t good for affordable housing,” Dunn said. “During that time of uncertainty, evictions and collections are being filed against tenants. That hurts them for years. Landlords are selling their properties because they’re afraid, and they could be selling to new owners that are going to raise rents.”
NEXT
Read this story for free.
Create AccountRead this story for free
By submitting your information, you agree to the Terms of Service and acknowledge our Privacy Policy.
Already a member? Login here
Food insecurity in Georgia is huge, and a Senate bill hopes to bring parties together to figure out how to fix it
A two-year effort to tackle food insecurity in Georgia may be coming to fruition. The General Assembly is now moving on SB 177, a bill to create a Food Security Advisory Council that would find ways to get more healthy food to economically disadvantaged people in underserved areas. It began in early 2021, when Sen. Harold …
Q&A: Georgia’s new ag commissioner says agriculture is more than ‘cows, sows & plows’
Tyler Harper makes no apologies for vigorously preserving and guarding Georgia’s farmland. “Agriculture at the end of the day is national security,” Georgia’s newest agriculture commissioner told State Affairs. “We’ve got to ensure that we’re protecting our food supply and providing the food, the fiber, the shelter for ourselves right here at home.” Harper became …
Q&A: New Department of Labor commissioner is taking stock and making changes, aiming for a better experience for Georgians
When Bruce Thompson says he has an open-door policy, he means it. Literally. The badge-only elevator access to his sixth-floor executive suite in downtown Atlanta is gone, removed shortly after his arrival in January as Georgia labor commissioner. “We’re treating it like any other floor now. The doors are wide open,” Thompson told State Affairs. …
COMMENTARY: Uncovering the truth: The role Freedom of Information laws play in student journalism
Editor’s note: The New Leaders Association (NLA), formerly the American Society of News Editors, created Sunshine Week 17 years ago to promote open government. NLA and the Society of Professional Journalists host the national celebration of access to public information and what it means to citizens across the country. We asked Rohan Movva, a high …