Quinn Kobelak, right, a Housing Court Help Desk clerk, provides information to a tenant. (Photo by Lucas Zheng/PublicSource)
Allegheny County announced the impending phase-out of its Emergency Rental Assistance Program. Will a special court be overwhelmed with eviction cases?
by Rich Lord, PublicSource
Current recipients of rent relief in Allegheny County won’t get payments for months beyond May, and the cutoff date for new applications is March 31, the Department of Human Services has announced.
County officials and nonprofit administrators spent two months weighing options for stretching the available federal funds and keeping the Emergency Rental Assistance Program [ERAP] afloat.
“We’re making this announcement when there’s still $65 million in the program just to let people know that it’s going to end for them three months from now,” said Chuck Keenan, the housing coordinator for the Allegheny County Department of Human Services [ACDHS].
ERAP’s end is likely to have a profound impact on the cases that come before Allegheny County Housing Court, which handles appeals of decisions made by the district judges who initially rule on landlord-tenant cases.
“In 100% of my cases, that’s the first question: ‘What’s the ERAP status here?’” said Common Pleas Judge Patrick Connelly, who handles Allegheny County Housing Court. “It’s probably relevant in 90% of the cases.”
Connelly’s court is part of a system that has been developed since mid-2019, and bolstered in response to the pandemic. Now tenants facing eviction can tap help desks, pro bono attorneys and two mediation programs.
For the past year, ERAP has been the most important tool for addressing troubled rental housing arrangements. It covers as much as 15 months of rent and utility payments for people who have suffered financially due to the pandemic, are at risk of homelessness and have household incomes below 80% of the area median income.
“You couldn’t have a better tool than a stash of money that’s there that benefits both the landlord and the tenant,” said Connelly.
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