New tenant assistance program aims to keep Austinites in Austin

A total of $8 million in rental assistance and eviction prevention is now available through the city of Austin Housing Department’s I Belong in Austin (IBIA) Program. The program, which is administered by El Buen Samaritano, will provide financial assistance with rent, relocation and storage for tenants at risk for losing their home. El Buen Samaritano will work with the city, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid and Volunteer Legal Services to provide financial and informational support to those facing eviction. “There were many lessons learned through the RENT program, where we distributed more than $77 million to over 18,000 households. Most importantly, we have learned that the needs still exist; emergency rent assistance and eviction prevention is a critical step to help keep families housed, preventing them from sliding into our homeless population,” stated Nefertitti Jackmon, the city’s community displacement prevention officer, in a statement to the press. More information about the new program, including eligibility requirements and applications for assistance, can be found here.