We are writing to urge the Dekalb County CEO and Commissioners to act quickly on behalf of the thousands of Dekalb County citizens who are facing imminent eviction and homelessness

Today, 9825 eviction cases remain open in Dekalb County, and about 90% of those seeking rental assistance are Black women (mostly single moms). In February, $21 million was released to the Tenant Landlord Coalition (TLAC) February for rent assistance, but the program has proved to be an inefficient bottleneck. It has been 4 months and still very little of that has been released to the 10,000 citizens who applied. The vast majority of applicants haven’t even received a single correspondence from TLAC

The thousands of Dekalb Citizens under eviction need funding NOW before June 30, when the eviction moratorium expires and marshals start coming to kick people out of their homes. In the fall, a group of partner nonprofits proved they were able to distribute millions in rent, mortgage, and utility assistance to needy Dekalb citizens in a swift manner (due to having more staffing and capacity than TLAC). Some of those nonprofits were Star-C, Family Heritage Foundation, Refugee Women's Network, IRC, CPACS, and Clarkston Community Center.

We are petitioning Dekalb County to allocate $10 million of American Rescue Act Funds to Dekalb County nonprofits to save Dekalb County renters today. We also urge DeKalb leaders to hold TLAC accountable to disperse the funding they have already received within the next month. Without your action, thousands of families and their children will suffer needlessly, and increased homelessness will cost the county much, much more in the long run.