As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to ravage across the world, many vulnerable tenants have shouldered much of the burden. In an effort to assist those individuals, state and local government officials have provided financial aid to help with rent payments. However, some locals have recently discovered that they have been overpaid for the relief efforts, and are now being asked to return the funds.
The issue of over-payment has become especially pronounced in Baltimore, where CitySolicitor Andre Davis revealed that some of the renters who received payments from the Maryland Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) were given more money than they were eligible for. On June 28th, Davis alerted the city’s renters to “immediately start making restitution payments.”
The issue sparked the ire of many in the local community who felt that the officials made an important, yet vulnerable, segment of the population pay for their oversight.
“It is insulting that vulnerable people are expected to bear the burden of someone else’s mistake,” said local community organizer, Zangi Dase.
In response to the outcry, Davis has since attempted to soften the blow, stating, “Please know that this is not an effort to punish people who were not responsible for the over-payments, but rather to make sure that landlords and those who qualify for the rent relief programs are properly compensated.”
The efforts of the Maryland ERAP program have been widely praised, but these recent complications have invited scrutiny. At a time when individuals to need all the assistance they can get, the episode serves as an important reminder for officials to remain vigilant in their efforts to provide necessary aid.
