NEWS BRIEF: State handling of federal rental assistance is “one of the worst in the country”

More than 250 angry tenants gathered near the state Capitol for a rally on Tuesday to draw attention to the mishandling of the Emergency Rental Assistance program by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. “DCA is one of the worst in the country (with ERA disbursal) because of their incompetence,” said CEO Bruce Marks of the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America, which hosted the rally. The DCA has given struggling tenants just $47 million—9 percent—out of more than $550 million the federal government allocated to the state since funding began in January. A months-long application backlog is part of the problem, according to details leaked by DCA employees. Due to inaction, the agency is at risk of forfeiting its funds, which would then be reallocated elsewhere. atlantaciviccircle.org