Center for Transforming Lives, Tarrant County’s rental and utility program, expects to expend its more than $2 million in aid money before its contract ends in October, according to CEO Carol Klocek.
Klocek told Tarrant County commissioners Tuesday the program has already used more nearly $900,000 in rent and utility assistance across 440 homes.
“Before the program was even advertised, we had people lined up in our lobby,” Klocek said. "The need is so much greater than the resources available, and we are doing everything we can to stabilize as many households as quickly as possible."
In total, 1,093 applications have been processed in the past five months, according to data presented at the meeting. Klocek said it expects to go through all of the aid money by early October or mid-September.
Center for Transforming Lives is a Fort Worth nonprofit group that offers support to families experiencing poverty.
Commissioners last October unanimously approved a $2.3 million contract with the group, replacing Tarrant County’s rental and utility assistance department commissioners voted to close last August.
The group opened applications Nov. 3 and had to close its application after just four hours due to high demand.
That demand hasn’t slowed down. Klocek said the center estimated it would distribute aid to 2,200 residents — but now expect that number to be lower because some applicants are behind on rent payments from prior months.
Center For Transforming Lives takes 200 applicants every three weeks but always hit the limit within hours — sometimes less, Klocek said. Others that don’t make it on the list during that period are offered referrals to other places for assistance.
This raised concern from Precinct 1 Roderick Miles, Jr., who said county government should be the local safety net and necessary stop when people need help.
"We are not doing as good a job as we can," Miles said. "[Center for Transforming Lives] is an important first step in that direction, but there is much more that Tarrant County can do and should be doing. And this is where the role of county government matters and partnership matters. Because when systems fall short, the county should be there to catch them."
Precinct 3 Commissioner Matt Krause and Precinct 4 Commissioner Manny Ramirez said the county is doing better fiscally through this partnership, which was the goal.
Through the previous county rental and utility department, 28 cents of every dollar spent went to direct assistance. Through this program, 89 cents goes directly to client assistance, according to data.
"You're delivering more to taxpayers with less government, and that was exactly the point," Ramirez told Klocek.
Penelope Rivera is KERA's Tarrant County Accountability Reporter. Got a tip? Email Penelope Rivera at privera@kera.org.
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