ATLANTA – State Representative Viola Davis (D-Stone Mountain) seeks to make constituents aware of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs’ (DCA) rental assistance program that has available funding for landlords and tenants whose finances have been impacted by COVID-19.
“There are still millions of dollars in federal aid available for landlords and residents who need help paying their rent and/or utilities, despite the suspension of local funding for rental assistance,” said Rep. Davis. “Georgians, especially those in the metro Atlanta area, are still struggling to keep up, especially with the rising costs of living over this last year. Our state has made changes to help improve the program, and are working hard to make this funding available to struggling landlords and tenants. Residents who need this help can still apply online or call to learn more. Since the programs have been so successful, residents should apply as soon as possible before the state’s rental assistance programs stops accepting applications and/or run out of funding.”
The state received $989 million from the Federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program to provide relief to individuals, families and landlords whose finances have been negatively impacted since March 13, 2020. The funding may be used for rental and utility payments, including other associated expenses. The DCA administers this funding through the Georgia Rental Assistance (GRA) program, which opened in March 2021. The money is distributed directly to landlords and service providers, and eligible applicants will receive up to 18 months of payment relief. Individuals must qualify for unemployment or have experienced a financial hardship since March 13, 2020, demonstrate a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability and have household income at or below 80 percent of the area median income (AMI). The DCA hosted a GRA program webinar for renters; a video of the webinar can be found here. More information about the GRA program can be found here; individuals may also contact rentalassistance@dca.ga.gov or 833-827-7368.
DeKalb County’s Tenant-Landlord Assistance Program has suspended the acceptance of new applications submitted after November 24. DeKalb County received $21 million in grant funding from the Federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program. However, approximately $19.7 million, or 91.2 percent, of the program’s $21.6 million budget has been disbursed to help 2,425 families and landlords. The average applicant has received approximately $7,500 for rental arrearages and/or past-due utility payments.
Representative Viola Davis represents the citizens of District 87, which includes portions of DeKalb County. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 2018 and currently serves on the Natural Resources & Environment, Insurance, Interstate Cooperation and Science and Technology committees.
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