Last December, lawmakers appropriated $25 billion for the federal emergency rental assistance program and followed up with another $22 billion in March as part of the larger pandemic relief legislation known as the American Rescue Plan. The money is still making its way to struggling renters. About 80% of the first tranche is expected to be spent or obligated by the end of the year, according to the Treasury Department, which delivered the funds to states, as well as some cities and counties.
The federal moratorium on evictions expired in August after being in place for nearly a year. It also helped that Treasury relaxed some of its guidelines, making it more clear that programs can rely on applicant's self-attestations without further documentation."Most people know about the aid by now. There are billboards up across the state that weren't there in the summer," said Lindsey Siegel, director of housing advocacy at Atlanta Legal Aid Society.