Henry County BOC Approve Resolution to Assist Residents Facing Eviction

Henry residents facing the prospect of eviction this past holiday season received welcome news from their local government. That’s because the Henry County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution to extend $2 million in stopgap funding to ensure the uninterrupted disbursement of federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) dollars.

ERAP is a national program that assists counties, cities and towns with rental and utility assistance for residents in need. Henry County is currently on its third round of ERAP funding, dating back to July of 2021. It has received $24 million in all.

But that money has now been fully invested, a prospect which Financial Services Director David Smith warned would have immediate consequences if the resolution did not pass.

“We have approximately two hundred families that are in the pipeline,” Smith said when presenting at the meeting. He added that without an injection of capital to keep the program going, those families “would be out in the streets.”

The $2 million is effectively an advance from the County’s fund balance. Henry has already received word from the U.S. Department of the Treasury that a fourth round of ERAP funding, totaling $15 million, has been approved. Those funds are now transferred and the $2 million has been reimbursed.

Going forward there are a few major questions left to answer. The first is how the incoming $15 million will be shared between the government’s dedicated 501(c)3 headed by Karen Davis and her team as well as local non-profits. County Manager Cheri HobsonMatthews stated that this matter will come before the Board of Commissioners once the new dollars are received.

But that challenge remains on the horizon. For now, the County will focus on continuing to use the funds they have to help as many Henry families as they can in a timely and efficient manner.

For more on the ERAP program or for those looking to access the application portal, head to www.henryerap.org.