Inglewood drags feet on issuing Rent Relief Funds, blames applicants and landlords
The city of Inglewood has received in excess of $1 million in CDBG/CARES Act funding to provide rent relief for residents struggling to pay their rent. Staff reports suggest the city has only disbursed 10% of those funds.
During the September 28 council meeting, the staff report, noted that $122,000 was disbursed, and at the October 26 meeting, the staff report showed that figure increased to $144,000.
Residents attending the September 28 council meeting inquired as to why the dollar amount disbursed was so low, given that the city reallocated money from the reserves to provide residents with three months of back rent, as opposed to two months the program initially called for.
“The CARES Act funding is based on owners of apartment buildings and tenants coming forward, and we have not had the turnout and applications submitted, and the response has not been as great as we thought it would be,” said City Manager Artie Fields.
“We can’t allocate what we don’t have a valid use for,” added Mayor James Butts.
Both staff reports indicate the city received 1,000 applications/inquiries into the program.
On October 9 a public records request was initiated to ascertain how the funds have been disbursed, the number of applicants awarded funds, and the average award amount, which the city has so far refused to provide.
Are you an Inglewood resident waiting for approval of your rent relief application? We would love to hear from you.
