With the eviction moratorium slated to end on July 31, disbursing the $47 billion in available emergency rental assistance has become a race against time, and recent data indicate the money will not reach most renters. According to week 31 of the Census Pulse Survey (conducted from May 26 to June 7), 7 million renters are not caught up on their rent, and 3 million renters believe it’s likely they will be evicted.

We analyzed the US Department of the Treasury’s initial data on provision of the emergency rental assistance funds to determine how long it might take to get assistance to all renter households in need. Assuming the Treasury maintains its May 2021 distribution rate (5,153 households per day), it would take 627 days, or about 21 months, to reach all 3.2 million renters who believe they will be evicted. For the rental assistance funds to help those in need, efforts must move faster.

The eviction moratorium expires in 17 days, and although some jurisdictions are ensuring that no one is evicted without first exhausting emergency relief options, most jurisdictions don’t have these stopgaps. Even the ones that do have these stopgaps still need to figure out the logistics of getting relief funds to renters.

Recent guidance from the Treasury allows localities to provide assistance directly to tenants, bypassing the initial recommendation to start with the landlord. Treasury guidance allows for written attestation for most of the eligibility requirements, including income, financial hardship during the pandemic, and homelessness or housing instability.

States and localities can also speed up efforts get assistance to renters in need through the following actions:

  • Knock on doors to reach out to those eligible.
  • Allow for self-attestation for all eligibility requirements.
  • Provide rental assistance in the courts through eviction diversion programs.

Read the full article about rental assistance by Mary K. Cunningham, Kathryn Reynolds, and Christopher Davis at Urban Institute.