DeKalb renters say they were approved for assistance -- then later denied

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Several renters in DeKalb County have reached out to Channel 2 Action News about problems with rental assistance.

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Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Ashli Lincoln was in Decatur Tuesday, where renters got to voice their frustrations during a board meeting with county commissioners.

Renters complained that the eviction process is much faster than all the red tape that is slowing down renters from getting critical assistance.

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Some also said they were approved to get assistance, only to be later told their applications were not actually approved.

Bridgemon Bolger said he’s uncertain about where he and his family will lay their heads while they wait for rental assistance funds from DeKalb County’s Tenant-Landlord Assistance Coalition Program, which is known as T-LAC. Bolger said he fell behind on rent after getting COVID-19 last year and owed more than $9,000 in back rent.

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He and his landlord thought the T-LAC program would be the best option. In April, Bolger was approved, but he was stunned when a month later, the county asked for more documentation.

Housing advocate Ellie Thaxton has helped countless DeKalb renters get rental assistance and says dozens of renters were initially approved only to have the approval rescinded.

“They were expecting it, and now they have nowhere to go,” Thaxton said. “People are qualified if they’re experiencing hardship due to or during the pandemic, so that means any type of hardship if it happened within the last three years”

Bolger and other renters spoke or sent letters that were read during a DeKalb County Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday. The county has awarded more than $53 million in federal dollars for rental assistance, helping more than 5,000 households.

The county said if an applicant questions why their approval was revoked, they should contact the county. That’s another process Bolger doesn’t think will get resolved before an eviction.

“Even though the pandemic is over, many of us are still being impacted by the hardships that we face during the pandemic,” Bolger said.

The county announced earlier this summer that they’re no longer taking new applications because federal funding is running out.

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