WASHINGTON D.C., DC — D.C. tenants say they are frustrated after facing technical issues during the city's Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) rollout.
The program's portal was supposed to go live at noon on Jan. 2 but applicants were met with a notification telling them to "come back soon" because the website was "under maintenance."
"I was so stressed because I left my job just to come and do this," Essam Dahab told WUSA9.
Dahab was one of dozens of neighbors who had gathered in their Sixteenth Street Heights Apartment building to get help with the ERAP application from the Woodner Tenants' Union volunteers.
"Everybody was freaking out," he added.
For ERAP applicants, every minute counts because D.C.'s Department of Human Services cuts off the portal when they have received 3,500 applications.
Dahab says that in October of last year, he faced similar issues.
"Almost the same thing happened. But last time we were not able to go to the website and reapply again. So, they gave us a message that we have to wait in January. So we have been waiting all this time," he said.
The need for ERAP skyrocketed during the pandemic. The program that's available for those earning less than 40% of the Area Median Income, provides funding for tenants facing eviction for overdue rent including late fees and court costs.
After an estimated hour and a half, the ERAP portal was up and running. D.C. officials told WUSA9 that the high volume of applicants crashed the website.
Tenants opting to use the ERAP Hotline continued to report issues throughout the afternoon. A prerecorded message told callers that the program was closed.
The Woodner Tenants' Union volunteers say the process was riddled with delays and technical hiccups which led to some neighbors leaving.
"We did a lot of pre-work trying to get folks to have their information ready and it's still taking folks an hour or two just to finish their one application because of how slow the program is going," Vic Baker said.
Councilmember Robert White who chairs the Committee on Housing called the rollout frustrating after having to fight for more funding for ERAP.
"One, we have to put more money into it, and two we have to be more prepared for when the portal opens. A lot of people are applying because there are a lot of people in need," White told WUSA9's Delia Goncalves.
An hour into the technical issues WUSA9 reached out to D.C.'s Department of Human Services, the agency that runs ERAP. DHS did not offer a response about what caused the issue and what was being done to avoid future technical mishaps.
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