Department: County Administration
Department Head/Elected Official: David Berry
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Contract - Award
Project ID (if applicable):
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable):
MWDBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWDBE Current Participation (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWDBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request by the Office of County Administration for approval of a data sharing agreement with Princeton University and its Eviction Lab to obtain the County’s data related to the Houston-Harris County Emergency Rental Assistance Program to assess the impact of receiving rental assistance on eviction outcomes.
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Background and Discussion:
In January 2021, the U.S. Treasury Department established the Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) program to provide funding to state and local governments to assist eligible renter households impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, funded via the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. Commissioners Court established the 2021 Houston-Harris County Emergency Rental Assistance Program on February 9, 2021, in collaboration with the City of Houston. Additional funding was allocated to the ERA program via the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) and subsequently allocated to state and local governments.
The Eviction Lab will compare ERA applications from the program to local eviction records to assess whether those who received assistance were at lower risk of eviction filing or judgment than those who applied for ERA but did not receive it. This research can provide insights into the effectiveness of rental assistance in promoting housing stability and the characteristics of renters who benefited most from the program.
Expected Impact:
Outside of minor administrative tasks performed by County staff and program partners, there is no expected fiscal impact.
Alternative Options:
If agreement is not approved, Harris County will not participate in the Eviction Lab’s research project.
Alignment with Goal(s):
_ Justice and Safety
X_ Economic Opportunity
X_ Housing
X_ Public Health
_ Transportation
_ Flooding
_ Environment
_ Governance and Customer Service
Prior Court Action (if any):
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Precinct(s): Countywide
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Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
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Anticipated Court Date: January 31st, 2023
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): February 6th, 2023
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: COVID-19 related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Leah Barton, Managing Director, Strategic Initiatives, Office of County Administration
Janet Gonzalez, Sr. Director of Budget and Performance, Office of Management and Budget
Attachments (if applicable): Data use agreement and Schedule A project summary