More than $2 billion in federal rental assistance went out in August — but millions still fear eviction

The United States is making strides with getting assistance out to the millions of Americans behind on rent — but after months of struggling to move aid to those in need, billions are still not getting out the door. 

More than $2.3 billion in federal emergency rental assistance went out in August to some 420,000 households, the most of any month to date since the money was made available, according to data released Friday by the Treasury Department.  In July, $1.7 billion in emergency rental assistance was spent; in June, roughly $1.5 billion was disbursed. But despite the uptick in disbursements, millions still said this month that they fear being evicted in the near future.

The funding is only a fraction of the money allocated by Congress to help households behind on rent during the pandemic. To date, just $7.7 billion in payments have been made to help those in need out of the $46 billion that was approved last December and March, meaning more than 83% of the money has not yet been spent.