Indiana spends only $10M of $371M set aside by feds for rental assistance
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The federal government’s rule on delaying evictions during the coronavirus pandemic expires at the end of June.
The order was put in place because health experts worried that an increase in the homeless population or overcrowded shelters would speed up the spread of COVID-19, but, as the program ends, an overwhelming amount still hasn’t been spent.
Jacob Sipe, the executive director of the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, says the state has committed just over $10 million in spending out of the $371 million meant for rental assistance.
He says more is being done to make more people aware of the money available to them.
Sipe said, “We do have an individual who is looking at the data to focus in on helping us do some additional outreach and targeted outreach in underserved areas geographically.”
The housing authority director says applications have slowed lately but the state will meet the federal government’s obligation of spending all of the allocated money by the end of 2021.