News Category

NLIHC Analysis: Latest Emergency Rental Assistance Spending Data Shows Significant Progress; Long-term Solutions Needed to Keep Renters Stably Housed

WASHINGTON, DC– The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) is tracking and analyzing all emergency rental assistance (ERA) programs in the U.S. Today, the Department of Treasury (Treasury) released ERA spending numbers through the end of November. Overall, $15.9 billion has been disbursed to households through November, reaching more than 3.2 million renter households, with up to $27 billion of ERA spent or obligated.

NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel said this about today’s data release:

“Efforts by the Biden administration, advocates, program administrators and others have significantly improved emergency rental assistance (ERA) programs and quickened the pace of ERA distribution, keeping millions of people stably housed. Nearly ten million people in over 3 million households have been assisted with these vital resources.

With back rent paid, these families have a clean slate and some housing stability to start the year. The improved distribution of ERA, combined with over 130 new local laws and policies that further protect tenants, has kept eviction filings below historic levels and kept many low-income renters in their homes. But there’s much more work still to be done - many struggling renters have yet to receive needed assistance, and long-term solutions to keep families stably housed are badly needed and long overdue.

Emergency rental assistance was always meant only to provide some housing stability during the pandemic – it does not and cannot address the underlying shortage of affordable homes that leaves millions of low-income families struggling to make rent. To create longer-term housing stability for the lowest-income people, Congress must quickly enact the housing investments in the Build Back Better Act.”

Overview of Treasury Data

ERA1

  • Total Spending through November:
    • $13.6B has been paid to households
    • $14.6B has been expended through assistance to households, administrative costs, and housing stability services (58% of $25B); though the amount expended for administrative costs and housing stability services is current only through the end of September.
  • Households Served through November:
    • Nearly 2.7M households received ERA1 funding through November
    • 378k households were served in November alone, a decrease from 417k households served in October and 480k households served in September. 
  • Breakdown by geography
    • States have spent $9.6B, approximately 54% of the amount allocated to states
    • Localities have spent $3.9B, approximately 65% of the amount allocated to them.
    • Territories have spent $59.9M, approximately 15% of their allocations
    • Tribes have spent $436.4M, approximately 54.7% of their allocation as of September 30, 2021
  • At the end of November, the following states had spent less than 20% of their funds:
    • Ohio                          18%                  
    • West Virginia            16%
    • Delaware                  15%
    • Iowa                          14%
    • Tennessee                 13%
    • Montana                    12%
    • Idaho                         11%
    • Georgia                       9%
    • South Carolina           9%  (data not reported for last two months)
    • Nebraska                     7%
    • Wyoming                     6%
    • North Dakota              6%
    • Arizona                        5%
    • South Dakota              3%  (data not reported for last month)
  • As of the end of November, the top ERA spenders remained relatively similar to previous months. States that spent more than 65% of their allocations are:
    • New York                               131%    
    • California                               103%    
    • Minnesota                                90%
    • New Jersey                              90%
    • Virginia                                     90%
    • District of Columbia               86%    
    • North Carolina                         84%
    • Illinois                                       83%
    • Texas                                        81%
    • Alaska                                       75%
    • Oregon                                      69%
    • Massachusetts                        66%
  • Local Spending Takeaways:        
    • Approximately half of localities have spent more than 75% of their funding and nearly 100 localities have spent 90% or more.
    • 40 local grantees have an expenditure ratio less than 35%

ERA2

  • Total Spending through November:
    • $2.3B has been paid to households
  • Households Served through November:
    • More than 470k households received ERA2 funding through November.
    • More than 287k households were served in November alone with ERA2 funding; more than double the number of households served in October with ERA2 funding. 

Reallocation

  • Voluntary Reallocation
    • A total of $875.5 M was voluntarily reallocated. These funds were all reallocated within the same state. Programs that have voluntarily reallocated funds include:
  • State of Wisconsin                   $163,224,183
  • State of Indiana                        $132,654,708
  • State of Louisiana                    $106,103,998
  • State of Tennessee                  $104,977,680
  • State of Arizona                         $88,000,000
  • State of Nebraska                      $84,700,000
  • State of Georgia                        $80,600,000
  • State of South Carolina             $32,000,000
  • State of Iowa                             $30,000,000
  • State of Arkansas                      $23,000,000
  • State of Utah                             $17,000,000
  • Stanislaus County, CA                 $7,200,000
  • Merced County, CA                      $5,035,908
  • State of Wyoming                         $1,000,000
  • Recaptured Funds
    • An additional $239.9M was recaptured. 
  • Reallocated Funds Received
    • 125 programs received reallocated funds (96 state/local & 29 Tribal). This includes programs that received recaptured and/or voluntarily reallocated funds. State/local programs received an average of $11.5M dollars. The funds received range from $91.5 million (City of Indianapolis/Marion County) and $42,569 (Multnomah County, OR). States that received reallocated funds are:
  • State of California                   $62,566,321
  • State of New Jersey               $42,706,022
  • State of New York                   $27,219,044
  • District of Columbia                $17,784,484
  • State of Oregon                          $1,166,696
    • Other notable reallocation amounts include:
  • City of Indianapolis/Marion County     $91,454,708
  • City of Milwaukee                                      $61,000,000
  • City of Omaha                                           $50,000,000
  • Milwaukee County                                    $50,000,000
  • Maricopa County                                      $39,000,000
  • City of New Orleans                                 $37,198,688
  • City of Madison                                        $35,000,000
  • City of Baton Rouge                                $33,339,186
  • Davidson County                                     $30,636,557
  • Polk County                                             $30,000,000
  • City of Lincoln                                         $30,000,000
  • City of Memphis                                      $28,735,587
    • Tribal governments received a total of $12.1M in reallocated funds, most of which came from recaptured funds.

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