Texas and Virginia have distributed the largest percentage of funding, while New York has allocated less than 1% to renters in need. People load boxes into a moving truck, July 21, 2020, in The Bronx borough of New York. More than 8 million households in the United States are behind on rent payments as of July, but 89% of federal rental assistance funding has yet to be distributed by state and local governments.
The Emergency Rental Assistance program, funded through two aid packages during the pandemic, has currently allocated $46.5 billion to state and local governments to support households behind on rent. But the distribution of those funds, handled at the state and local levels, has varied, according to a new report. Texas and Virginia have distributed the largest percentages of their allocated funding at around 34% and 41% respectively, while New York State hasn't even doled out 1% of its federal rental assistance. Oregon, North Dakota and Rhode Island have all given out less than 2%.
The funding was divided between states mostly by population. Households that have filed for unemployment benefits or saw reduced income due to the COVID-19 pandemic are eligible for up to 18 months of support, which can go toward rent or utilities like electricity, gas and water. According to Census data, Black, Hispanic and Asian households were all more likely to be unable to pay rent. As of July, only $5.1 billion had been distributed while 15% of renters remain unable to pay. The eviction moratorium, which would go through Oct. 2, in areas with high levels of COVID-19 transmission, is at risk of being shut down by a coming Supreme Court ruling.
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