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Texas Rent Relief Program first in US to provide $1 billion in assistance

By FOX 7 Austin Digital Team
Published  October 14, 2021 1:57pm CDT
Coronavirus in Central Texas
FOX 7 Austin

AUSTIN, Texas - The Texas Rent Relief Program has distributed more than $1 billion in rental and utility assistance to more than 174,000 Texas households, according to the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA). Another $52 million has also already been committed to more households.

The state also has more than $900 million remaining to dole out. 

Since the program launched in mid-February, Texas has served more households and provided more relief funds than any other state, while reaching 95% of its counties, according to TDHCA.

"The Texas Rent Relief program has reached a major milestone, one that wouldn’t be possible without our partners, community, and team members working together to assist Texans in need," said Bobby Wilkinson, TDHCA Executive Director. "Crossing the $1 billion mark shows we were able to address a great and pressing need that is still present here in our state, but it’s important we continue to work vigorously to get help out as quickly as possible."

Texans can apply for the program by calling 1-833-9TX-RENT (1-833-989-7368) or submitting it online at TexasRentRelief.com. The call center is open Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. 

To qualify, households must be at or below 80% of the area median income as well as meet other criteria, according to TDHCA. Landlords are encouraged to apply on behalf of tenants, who must co-sign the application.

The Texas Rent Relief Program by the numbers:

  • More than $1 billion has been paid to more than 174,000 households.
  • The program is reaching all corners of Texas, providing assistance to households in 241 out of 254 Texas counties – that’s a 95% reach of the vast Texas territory.
  • More than 82% of the households served are either extremely low or low income, falling at or below 50% of their area median income.
  • The program is prioritizing people at risk of eviction – more than 15,000 applicants have had their evictions stopped and removed from their credit records and have received more than $126 million in assistance.
  • TDHCA provides a public dashboard to report on the program’s performance at TexasRentRelief.com.

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