The city of Pine Bluff is considering changes to an ordinance that would allow renters who rent property from an elected official to participate in a program designed to keep people from becoming homeless.
In October the Department of Human Services Division of County Operations announced that rental assistance would be made available for eligible Arkansans affected by covid-19 through the Covid-19 Emergency Solutions Grant funds. The city of Pine Bluff's Economic and Community Development office was one of the many organizations granted the funds to help prevent homelessness.
The state of Arkansas was allocated approximately $23 million under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to prevent, prepare for and respond to the needs of Arkansans who are homeless or at risk for homelessness because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Division of County Operations accepted applications from organizations that proposed to use the funds in one or more of the following categories:
• Street Outreach: to engage those who are homeless and not staying in a shelter or other housing.
• Homelessness Prevention: to offer rental assistance and other supports for those who are at risk of becoming homeless to allow them to stay in their homes or relocate.
• Rapid Re-Housing: to help to find and pay for housing for those who are homeless and case management during the transition to stability.
• Emergency Shelter: to provide support for shelter operations along with critical services to shelter residents such as child care, skills training and transportation assistance.
Jefferson County's Sub-Grant Component is Rapid Re-Housing and Homelessness Prevention, which can help many families facing financial hardships and eviction, helping both the renter and the landlord.
Not all renters may be able to take advantage of this program even if they qualify. According to Larry Matthews, director of the city of Pine Bluff's Economic and Community Development office, there is a city ordinance that prevents city elected officials from entering into a contract with the city.
The documentation required for assistance is an agreement between the landlord, the tenant, and the city of Pine Bluff as the grantee for that program, and for elected officials who are landlords. They would be excluded from receiving funds if their renter uses the funding.
"We received federal money to help eligible tenants from being evicted, but the landlord may happen to be an elected official, which the resolution does not allow that landlord to receive payment," said Matthews. "We have to do a resolution that waives that condition for that tenant to be allowed to get assistance and receive the money."
Matthews said he is working with the city attorney to draft a resolution that Alderman Glen Brown Sr. would sponsor.