AG Racine Announces Five Clinics With Local Organizations to Help Residents Access STAY DC Support to Pay Rent & Utility Bills

OAG Attorneys & Staff Will Provide In-Person Volunteer Services to Help Residents Fill Out STAY DC Forms

WASHINGTON, D.C – Attorney General Karl A. Racine today announced his office is partnering with local nonprofit organizations to sponsor five in-person STAY DC clinics to help residents navigate the application process so they can get support to pay their rent and utility bills, as many have struggled financially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Attorneys and staff from the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) volunteered to work at the clinics to help residents apply for financial assistance as many have expressed difficulties filling out the application. Partially as a result of application difficulties, STAY DC still has more than 80% of its assistance funds which can be distributed to eligible residents. The first clinic will take place on August 3.

“The pandemic has exacerbated the financial challenges that many DC residents face as workers have lost jobs and families have struggled to care for their children. At the same time, they still have bills to pay to keep a roof over their head and their lights on,” said AG Racine. “STAY DC is a critical program helping DC residents pay their rent and utility bills during these challenging times. But for many, the application process has been difficult. I’m proud that attorneys and staff from my office have stepped up to offer their support to help residents fill out these forms, and I hope residents come to these clinics and take advantage of this help.”

STAY DC is a financial assistance program for District renters and housing providers who are looking for support to cover housing and utility expenses and offset the loss of income. The program is meant to help families settle debts, pay landlords what they are owed and, ultimately, avoid a crisis when the District’s moratorium on eviction proceedings expires later this year. But for tenants who are elderly, face technological barriers, or are disabled, illiterate, or whose primary language is not English, the application is difficult to navigate without help. On top of this, many organizations need more support to help answer residents’ questions with the application. OAG attorneys and staff stepped in to help fill that gap.

The STAY DC clinics will take place at:

  • August 3, 6:00pm – 9:00pm
    Ward 2: Luther Place Memorial Church: 1226 Vermont Ave NW, Washington, DC 20005
  • August 10, 6:00pm – 9:00pm
    Ward 8: Hart Middle School: 601 Mississippi Ave SE, Washington, DC 20032
  • August 19, 6:00pm – 9:00pm
    Ward 8: Hart Middle School: 601 Mississippi Ave SE, Washington, DC 20032
  • August 28, 10:00am – 2:00pm
    Ward 7: Marshall Heights Community Development Organization: 3939 Benning Rd NE, Washington, DC 20019
  • September 18, 10:00am – 2:00pm
    Ward 7: East Washington Heights Baptist Church: 2220 Branch Ave SE, Washington, DC 20020

Residents interested in attending a clinic should take the following steps:

  • Determine eligibility for STAY DC support.
  • Register at this link to join one of the upcoming clinics so residents will be paired with a volunteer who can assist. Residents can also walk up to a clinic without an appointment, but pre-registering will guarantee that someone will be available to provide assistance.
  • Before going to an appointment, review the list of required documents and bring those documents to the appointment.
  • Residents with questions can email oagcommunity@dc.gov.

Background

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government provided $2.5 billion nationally in federal rental and utility assistance funds to tenants in need, and tasked states and municipalities with distributing their portion of the funds.

The District created STAY DC – which is jointly run by the DC Department of Human Services and the DC Department of Housing and Community Development – to distribute the District’s portion of the federal assistance funds, which totals $200 million, to eligible residents. Under the STAY DC online portal, tenants can apply to cover outstanding rent and utility bills dating back to April 1, 2020, and three months of future rent.

The District must disperse at least $130 million to eligible residents before September 30, 2021, or it forfeits additional federal funds that the District would be eligible for and which could help even more families avoid eviction.