Nonprofit Awaits COVID-19 Relief Funds To Help Serve At-Risk Families

Restore Hope Ministries in Tulsa says it still hasn't received funding from the new COVID-19 relief bill and it’s hurting those who need it.

2020 was the biggest year for the nonprofit in terms of rent assistance. It gave out $3.5 million, and a lot of that money came from the CARES Act.

The new COVID-19 relief bill includes $25 billion in emergency rent assistance and extends the use of funds from the CARES Act another year.

However, Executive Director Jeff Jaynes said they are still unsure how much money the city of Tulsa, Tulsa County, and the state of Oklahoma will be receiving.

The new bill not only provides rent assistance but also extends the CDC moratorium another month, which puts a pause on evictions.

Jaynes said since the pandemic, they've gotten thousands of applications. Jaynes believes the holidays caused the delay in getting the funding to those who need it.

"Tenants are calling us frustrated, landlords are calling us frustrated. Everyone wants to know what our program is and how to apply and unfortunately there is just some of that we don't know, we can't know right now,” Jaynes said.

In the meantime, Jaynes said calling 211 is your best resource to find out what other assistance is available to you right now.

Jaynes said they do expect to hear back from the state about funding sometime this week.