Demand for the new Tarrant County-funded rental and utility assistance program was so high, the application portal had to close four hours after opening, according to the nonprofit that runs the program.
Last month, Fort Worth鈥檚 Center for Transforming Lives won a $2.3 million contract with the county to administer the Community Outreach Fund. After opening on Nov. 3, 170 applications flooded in, Center CEO Carol Klocek said during an open house about the program Tuesday night at the Center鈥檚 South Riverside Drive campus.
鈥淧eople were here at 7:30 in the morning waiting for us to open the doors,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e hadn't even advertised the program yet.鈥�
Staff closed the portal to work through the applications, and $45,000 was disbursed in 11 days, Klocek said. The program is a short-term homelessness prevention effort, offering one to three months of help paying rent, utilities or both.
Participants can also get help from the Center's case managers, who can connect them with longer-term aid if they need it.
The Center鈥檚 contract with the county is for one year, with the possibility of renewal. Klocek acknowledged the possibility that the money could run out early.
"What we want to do is stabilize as many households as we can, and do that quickly,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat's our primary charge."
If the program runs out of money that fast, it might push the Tarrant County Commissioners Court to fund it even more, Democratic County Commissioner Roderick Miles Jr. said after the event.
"How can you refute the evidence?鈥� Miles said. 鈥淚f you run through $2 million, then it's incumbent upon us to say the need is greater than we anticipated, and we need to put more money into this program."
Miles voted alongside his Republican colleagues to close the county鈥檚 own rental and utility assistance arm, the Department of Human Services, back in August. County staff told commissioners the department was leaving millions of dollars in aid money unspent, and partnering with an outside nonprofit would get more money to people in need.
The Center also took on some clients already working with the county, so they didn鈥檛 have to go through the application process again, said Rand Otten, assistant director of the grants program for Tarrant County鈥檚 budget department.
Two million dollars isn鈥檛 enough, according to Klocek. , stagnating wages and layoffs have made surviving in Tarrant County more difficult than ever, she said.
"It's a time of very high need and a lot of fear for people," she said.
People in need of assistance can apply online or in person. The portal is still closed due to the volume of applications, but it is expected to reopen the Monday after Thanksgiving, Center spokesperson Trish Rodriguez said in an email.
Got a tip? Email Miranda Suarez at msuarez@kera.org.
四虎影院 is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider today. Thank you.
