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Economy

Emergency rental relief ticked up slightly in September, but issues getting money out the door persist

Meanwhile, housing experts are trying to understand why a feared ‘eviction tsunami’ hasn’t materialized since the federal moratorium was eliminated

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October 25, 2021 at 12:38 p.m. EDT
Tenants' rights advocates demonstrate outside the Edward W. Brooke Courthouse in Boston on Jan. 13. (Michael Dwyer/AP)
4 min

The amount of emergency rental assistance reaching tenants and landlords grew slightly from August to September, but the Biden administration, and state and local programs, continue to struggle getting money out the door, especially in the absence of renter protections from a federal eviction moratorium.

Last month, nearly $2.8 billion was spent on rent, utilities and missed payments, and some 510,000 households were reached, according to figures released Monday by the Treasury Department. By comparison, $2.3 billion was spent in August, reaching 459,000 households.