EAST TEXAS – With the interruption in SNAP benefits due to the continuing government shutdown, questions have arisen from beneficiaries of other programs, including the regional housing voucher program administered by the Deep East Texas Council of Governments (DETCOG).
The program, which is allocated through the federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Section 8 funds, will not see any impact thus far, according to DETCOG Executive Director Lonnie Hunt.
Hunt said that DETCOG has fielded several inquiries from tenants and landlords who “are understandably concerned” about the effect the shutdown has had on programs.
“DETCOG received its regular monthly funding from HUD for Housing Assistance Payments and Administrative Fees for the month of October, and we have been advised that the funding is scheduled to be paid on time for the months of November and December. We do not have any additional information beyond that,” Hunt said.
Hunt added that although the program has not been affected by the shutdown so far, he hopes the funding will continue throughout the shutdown, however long it should last.
At press time, the government has been shutdown for 32 days, since Oct. 1, when a continuing resolution from the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act expired.
DETCOG services a 12-county region, including Tyler; Trinity; Shelby; San Jacinto; San Augustine; Sabine; Polk; Newton; Jasper; Houston; Hardin and Angelina counties. In that regional area of coverage, DETCOG provides housing assistance to 1,700 families through its Regional Housing Authority division.
Hunt said that the DETCOG staff who work in the organization’s Regional Housing Authority continue to work “every day at full strength to serve the tenants and landlords who participate in the program.”
“It is our hope that the partial federal shutdown will conclude before the end of December,” Hunt said. “Should it linger on past then, we are hopeful HUD will make alternative arrangements to ensure that funding for this program is continued without interruption.”
