NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The City of New Orleans announced on Tuesday that approximately $25 million from the U.S. Department of Treasury will be used to fund the Emergency Rental Assistance Program created during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to an official press release, the Mayor’s Office of Housing Policy and Community Development (OCD) recently requested to receive the funds from the Treasury to expand the program, in addition to the $14 million earmarked for New Orleans by the State.
The funding is expected within the next 30 days to distribute to tenants and landlords that remain in need of assistance.
“This approval from the U. S. Department of Treasury is a major milestone for the City of New Orleans, as we are no longer required to wait on funding reimbursements from the State to assist our most venerable residents – and that’s huge,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell.
“It also provides us with an opportunity to solicit unutilized dollars from the state, because we were able to successfully prove to the state and federal government that the need still exists. We will continue to prioritize putting dollars in the hands of residents, and we are grateful to the Department of Treasury for allowing us to expand this necessary program as we respond to this ongoing pandemic.”
Since the program’s launch, the city has received $27 million in funding and has provided payments to over 11,000 households. The City also administered the first Eviction Diversion Program in Louisiana and held several community-based rental assistance events to provide direct application assistance to tenants and landlords and offer multiple remote locations to collect supporting documentation from applicants.
Tenants who have received eviction or disconnect notices can visit the Mayor’s Office of Housing Policy and Community Development located at 1340 Poydras Street, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. for assistance. Masks and social distancing are required.
Translators are also available.
