DALLAS — Multiple rental assistance and eviction protection programs continue to operate in the state of Texas. Next month, Collin County will officially add another to the list.
To find help with rental assistance in Texas, the state recommends you start here, with the Texas Emergency Rental Assistance Program. It lists the programs already in place, programs about to start or renew, with a list specific to the county or city where you live. The state also recommends Texas residents join an email list for any updates on Pandemic Related Rental Assistance as funding sources change or increase.
But while you will not find Collin County on that particular state list, the county has been active in providing funding and guidance to cities within its boundaries and will launch its own Emergency Rental Assistance Program starting March 1.
Direct funding from Congress in the last COVID-19 relief package provided Collin County with nearly $17.5 million for the latest Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP). Flyers are being distributed to constables and other law enforcement who might be involved in evictions, offering information in English and in Spanish where tenants can apply for help.
An address and QR code directs people to a Collin County website where you can put in your exact address and find the program, whether city or county, that applies to you and the help you need.
"There are apartments and there are rental homes. Both of those are available for ERAP," Collin County Administrator Bill Bilyeu said in a presentation to Collin County Commissioners on Monday.
For example, if COVID-19 has caused job loss or significant hardship to a household of four people with less than a total of $68,950 in income, you could qualify for help.
