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For many in Colorado threatened with eviction or the lights being turned off, the wait for federal assistance from the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERA) is seemingly endless. In Weld County, that is not the case thanks to teamwork, technology and a desire to get ERA money distributed to those who need it quickly.
As reported in countless news stories, the state’s system for processing and administering checks to those in need has been not only overloaded but severely delayed as well. In contrast, the process has been much smoother in Weld County as an in-house effort to distribute ERA funds has resulted in faster turnaround times from the time a service coordinator is assigned to an application to check disbursement — two to three weeks, well ahead of the national average of six weeks. Weld County is currently processing ERA requests at one of the top rates in the state, according to reports from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. As of September 10, over 50% of the $9.8 million awarded to the county in February has been dispersed. Two thousand three hundred fifty-five applicant requests have been processed.
“Given the impact of the pandemic on our residents, we knew how important it was to get this money distributed as quickly as possible,” said Don Warden, Weld County Finance Director. “I met with the commissioners and the Department of Human Services, and we implemented a system that has enabled us to manage the ERA program ourselves. It’s really rewarding to know many people have been helped by this program, although we know many others will need help moving forward.”
Department of Human Services (DHS) Family Resource Division Director Julie Witkowski and her team were tasked with spearheading the program for Weld County. Witkowski's outreach team, which typically works with emergency walk-in customers, community kinship providers and on general community outreach activities, shifted gears to ERA distribution.
Counties had the option to create and manage the ERA distribution process themselves or through the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) online portal. Weld County opted to create and utilize its own portal to administer funds more quickly and efficiently. They also opted to gain access to the DOLA online portal to ensure Weld County customers are served regardless of where they apply.
Witkowski worked with the Weld County IT team to expediently create a process and portal through the Weld County website that applicants could access and navigate easily. This allowed Witkowski and her team to process a large number of applications very rapidly. By bringing the portal in-house, Weld County is fully managing its ERA funds, starting with the application process and ending with check distribution. Another benefit to managing the ERA application process is the personal help people can receive from Witkowski and her team if they have difficulty filling out the application. Customers can come in and receive one-on-one assistance with the application process.
“We designed the portal so we would get everything we need on our end, but a lot of times leases haven’t been renewed, and there are just so many details that are needed it makes sense to have in-person assistance to walk an applicant through the process rather than all online,” said Witkowski.
Witkowski is very proud of the effort she and her team have done with the ERA Program, and she has a continued desire to improve those turnaround times, as she knows that the need for assistance is great. While Witkowski said the ERA process is becoming smoother as they continue collecting all the documentation, additional temporary workers will be added to the mix to again speed up the process.
“Our ideal turnaround time from application to assigning a service coordinator would be one week,” said Witkowski. “We understand the urgency that needing assistance has, and we want to be able to get the resources in the quickest way possible.”
The federal ERA program was created as part of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Package, to assist those meeting certain criteria who are facing eviction and cannot pay their rent and utilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Weld County was awarded $9.8 million of the $385 million the state of Colorado was allotted to divide among county governments.
“It truly takes a village, and I am so thankful to be a part of Team Weld with people who are willing and able to make things happen for our residents,” explained Witkowski. “This is just one example of how all different departments lean on each other to work together.”
By Kristen Sigg, Weld County Communications Specialist
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