Question: How much did the City distribute in rental assistance in FY 24? What is the scale of resources needed to assist every individual and/or family that applied for rental assistance in FY 24? (Councilwoman Alyia Gaskins)
Response:
From July 1- March 18th, DCHS has distributed $762,853 in rental assistance to 317 households to prevent eviction at an average cost of $2,407 per household. The funding sources and amounts are outlined in the table below.
The DCHS Office of Community Services has processed 807 rental assistance applications and anticipates an additional 285, totaling 1092, for Fiscal Year 2024. Approximately 40% of the applicants complete the process and are determined eligible for financial assistance. The causes for applications not being approved include individuals being over income, self-resolving the housing issue, not completing the application process, finding assistance from another source, and landlords not renewing the lease.
The FY 2024 budget of $873,608 is projected to serve 353 households. At the current assistance request rate, DCHS anticipates a total of 431 households to apply and to be determined eligible. The estimated cost to assist all households would be $1,037,417, creating a shortfall of $163,809 for FY 2024.