SAN DIEGO — The pandemic decimated jobs across the country, leaving many people with no money to pay their rent or utility bills. The federal government is trying to help by offering billions of dollars in rental assistance, but where is that money going?
According to the Treasury Department, nearly 90% of available funds have yet to be handed out by states and local governments to those in need. Federal officials, clearly frustrated by the slow distribution, issued a statement saying, "too many grantees have yet to demonstrate sufficient progress in getting assistance to struggling tenants and landlords."
Mayor Todd Gloria said people have a right to be upset.
“We know people are hurting and you want to know why this money is still sitting on the sidelines,” he said.
Mayor Gloria said he saw San Diegans struggling, so he worked with community-based organizations to publicize that the money is available and help people with the paperwork.
“We've had an all-hands-on-deck approach to this particular funding,” he said.
His staff also got proactive, reaching out to those who seemed to be slipping down a dangerous path.
“We've even gone so far as to look at our public utilities department - past due water bills - and send notices to those individuals because this is not just rent relief, it's also utility relief," Gloria said.
Those efforts have paid off. The City of San Diego has distributed around 94% of its money. It's among the highest percentages in the country and that money has gone to more than 10,000 families.
“We will continue to work with vigor on this particular project,” Mayor Gloria said. “Not just because we want to be good stewards of these state and federal dollars we've been entrusted with, but we also want to make sure that we're not contributing to a problem that is already unacceptable and that's the number of people that are living on our streets and sidewalks.”
According to Treasury Department numbers through the end of July, the City of Chula Vista has also done a great job - distributing more than 90% of its funds. San Diego County was also well above the national average - helping more than 12,000 families.
All local agencies say they still have money available and even more is on the way from another round of federal funding.
“We know that people continue to struggle and the Delta variant is real and it is causing more people to worry about how they're going to make ends meet,” Mayor Gloria said.
To get more information or apply for assistance with your rent and utilities, click on this link.