Louisiana Rental Assistance Program Suspended

A $24 million program designed to help Louisiana residents pay their rent during the coronavirus pandemic has been suspended. The program was unveiled on Thursday but after just four days had to be shut down after nearly 40,000 applications were submitted online. That's about four times the response that officials had planned for.

If you are still in need of rental assistance you can still submit an email address to the program at larenthelp.com or by calling the statewide 211 assistance phone number. Granted, the program is suspended right now, this information will allow officials to contact you if and when the program is restarted.

A housing advocacy group, HousingLOUISIANA suggested that the inundation of the program should not have come as a shock to state leaders. Their group estimated about 142,000 renters across the state had become unemployed during the pandemic. The group suggested that instead of just $24 million in federal assistance the figure needed would be closer to $250 million.

There was no word as to when the rental assistance program would be restarted. However, the Louisiana Housing Corporation, which runs the program with the state's Office of Community Development is working to secure additional money from federal programs to protect the interests of landlords and renters across the state.