More than 400 applications made in first week of rent bank

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More than 400 financial assistance applications have been received by Housing NB in the first week of the province’s new rent bank program.

The $3-million program – designed to help up to 750 renter households over two years – was launched on Dec. 13. Eligible renters can receive grants up to $2,750, or two months’ rent, whichever is less, to cover back rent, damage deposits and essential utility arrears.

Brunswick News asked Housing NB this week for the number of processed applications to date, the number of grants issued so far, and the top reason tenants are citing when applying for a grant. Spokesperson Rebecca Howland said the Crown corporation couldn’t provide that information because applications are still being processed.

A group of housing advocates and researchers sounded the alarm last week over the new program’s eligibility requirements that exclude certain renters from accessing grants.

Tenants who already receive subsidized housing through three provincial programs are ineligible to apply for a grant, according to the government website. Those programs include New Brunswick Public Housing, Rural and Native Housing, and the Rent Supplement Assistance Program.

For renters who are eligible, they need to show proof they filed taxes last year, and “except in extenuating circumstances,” produce valid photo identification, among other paperwork.

Last week, University of New Brunswick housing researcher Tobin LeBlanc Haley told Brunswick News that these requirements pose barriers specifically for those who are undocumented and those without legal identification.

In an email, Howland said Housing NB plans to “work with applicants to find a suitable solution.”

“If applicants do not have photo identification with their current address, alternative forms of identification may be accepted,” she said.

Housing NB also addressed concerns raised about the application process. The group of housing researchers and advocates had flagged the “patronizing tone” of the rent bank application process.

In order to fill out the online application, applicants must check off a box agreeing that “any form of harassment, discrimination or verbal mistreatment of program staff members may result in my funding application being denied.”

“There is an assumption here that people working hard to maintain or find housing would mistreat staff,” said LeBlanc Haley, co-director of the Housing, Mobilization, Engagement and Resiliency Lab (HOME-RL) at the University of New Brunswick.

“People are in crisis and will likely be distressed.”

Her lab issued a joint press release with the New Brunswick Coalition for Tenant Rights last week to raise concerns about both eligibility requirements and the application process itself.

“Given the sensitivity of the situation, the agreement for mutual respect was added to the application to ensure that both staff and applicants understand the need to remain respectful through the process,” Howland said.

“The Rent Bank program is one piece of a much larger puzzle, and each piece is working together to help solve the housing crunch.”

About 24,500 of New Brunswick’s 88,000 renter households are spending more than 30 per cent of their income on rent, according to UNB research. Earlier this month, before the rent program officially launched, Liberal Leader Susan Holt questioned whether the $3-million budget was enough to meet public demand.

Housing Minister Jill Green has told media that “if we get to the point where it looks (like a dried-up rent bank) might happen, it’s up to me to find more money to put into the rent bank.”