If they want to avoid an eviction avalanche, federal and state officials must prioritize efficient delivery of these funds. Mississippi has only spent a fraction of the rental assistance funds it received this summer. The Mississippi Legislature approved a bill Thursday night to redirect $20 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act funds to residential and commercial landlords who have lost rental revenue due to various eviction moratoriums. The grants will be administered by the Mississippi Development Authority. They can be up to $30,000 and not more than 25% can go to commercial properties. Nearly seven months have passed since the March pandemic, when Mississippi’s unemployment rate spiked from 64,286 people to 195,429 in a single month. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Legislature has appropriated funds for rental assistance. Separately, Gov. Tate Reeves’ Office plans to soon announce its decision to give rental assistance the entire $38 million state Community Development Block Grant under the CARES Act. States have the flexibility to use federal Community Development Block Grant funds for economic development and rehabilitation projects, as well as business revitalization. Reeves identified the most pressing need in Mississippi’s low income renters. Thousands of them are facing large rent arrears after being out of work for months due to the pandemic. This assistance stabilizes landlords who may be having difficulty paying their mortgages due the fall in collections. We want to help families get through this difficult time. Reeves stated that it was the right thing to do and the best way to use the funds in a statement sent to Mississippi Today on Thursday evening. The money will be transferred through the Mississippi Development Authority and the Mississippi Home Corporation. This corporation already oversees the Rental Assistance for Mississippians Program (RAMP). The state’s 352,000 renter homes are home to just a third of its 915,000 residents. According to a July study by Stout Risius Ross, 58% of these households are at risk of being evicted. Nationally, the figure was 43%. READ MORE: Mississippi renters could be evicted during a pandemic without Congress protections. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention halted some evictions and residential relocations from Sept. 4 through the end of 2018. However, renters must give a declaration to their landlords or property managers confirming that the order applies. Mississippi Home Corporation began providing $18 million of rental assistance this summer through a fund called the Emergency Solution Grants program at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Emergency Solutions Grants, which are a recurring grant, are usually targeted to the homeless population and provide rapid rehousing. They have stricter eligibility criteria and regulations than other funding sources. Due to COVID-19, the federal housing authority provided nearly $3 billion in additional ESG funding for states. Mississippi Home Corporation placed the funds in the RAMP program which is administered by three continuum care agencies throughout the state. The three organizations had received 2,460 requests for assistance, approved 404 and obligated $1.01million to help those renters as of Sept. 11. 463 applications are still being processed. Scott Spivey, Director of Mississippi Home Corporation, stated that everyone is trying to work as fast as possible and that there are many T’s and I’s to cross. He said that a lot of these funds were supposed to be used on rapid rehousing of homeless people, not those who might get kicked out of an apartment. You have to be flexible in a pandemic. But flexibility and regulation are not compatible in government. They are oil and water.” 433 of the 1,046 who were denied assistance, usually because they didn’t meet the income threshold of earning less than 50% of the median income for their area, qualified for other assistance, while 613 did not. To qualify for Jackson assistance, a family with four members would need to make less than $35,450. Renter eligibility will be more flexible with the Community Development Block Grant. Spivey stated that his agency has already begun to create an online application for this program so that Mississippi Development Authority can start negotiating grants with the federal government. Spivey stated that when they are ready to go we will be there to help. He said, “People are behind in rent.” “We’re working with programs and working to determine eligibility, between Governor, the Legislature, MDA Mississippi Home Corporation, and the governor, we’re all pulling together, trying to get people help.” Jackson also received a COVID-19 emergency solutions grant of $575,228. The Salvation Army received the entire grant, less administrative costs. A spokesperson for Jackson told Mississippi Today that Jackson can apply for $1.4 million more. Mississippians who need rental assistance should contact the Continuum of Care program. The Central Mississippi Continuum of Care (769-237-1012), covers Hinds and Rankin counties; the Open Doors Homeless Coalition (228-604-2048), covers Hancock, Harrison and Jackson. Mississippi United to End Homelessness (601-970 557) covers the rest of Mississippi. Here’s how to invoke CDC’s eviction ban.