Having provided rental assistance to over 8200 households that experienced economic hardship as a result of or during COVID-19, the rental assistance program served the community and prevented evictions and homelessness within the City and County of El Paso.
In most cases, residential tenants applied through their landlords for rental assistance for past due rent, but tenants also had the opportunity to receive assistance if their landlord chose not to participate in the program.
Rental assistance was distributed on a priority basis to those most in need, and who were at risk of eviction.
The program was limited to residential tenants living in the City of El Paso and El Paso County who were not receiving other federal housing assistance. Immigration status was not requested, nor was it a factor in determining funding awards.
Property owners/property management companies sign up to be a participating landlord.
In this step, landlords will:
Confirm residence is within the City of El Paso
Review and agree to the terms and conditions of the program
Share property and banking Information
BakerRipley verifies landlord enrollment. If verified, the properties will be listed in the Participation Directory.
Complete the rental assistance application
Submit complete application
Landlords verify the rent that is owed by tenant
Once an application is submitted, program staff reviews the applications
When an application is approved, landlords and tenants will receive a pledge
BakerRipley will then disburse pledged rental assistance payment to the landlord
It is the Landlord´s and Tenant’s responsibility to submit any change(s) to banking information and/or property ownership to BakerRipley at: eprent@bakerripley.org
The City of El Paso and County of El Paso allocated $38 million in funding from the Federal Cares Act to provide rental assistance to the landlords and tenants of residential rental properties for residents within the City of El Paso or County of El Paso who experienced economic hardship as a result of or during COVID-19.
This program was a collaboration of the Paso del Norte Community Foundation, BakerRipley, and Connective.
The Paso del Norte Community Foundation was honored to partner with the City and County of El Paso to serve thousands of El Pasoans who are facing the prospect of losing their homes due to the health and economic crisis caused by COVID-19.
Tracy J. Yellen
Chief Executive Officer
Paso del Norte Community Foundation
As the community dealt with the ongoing economic impact of COVID-19, the County was happy to provide rental assistance to its residents, who due to loss of wages or income struggled to pay rent. The assistance brought relief by allowing families to stay in their homes as the economy stabilized during trying times.
The Honorable Ricardo Samaniego
El Paso County Judge
Many El Pasoans were impacted by COVID-19 and the resulting financial hardships because of the lost of wages or income. I am proud that the City of El Paso provided support to residents by providing rental assistance relief that helped alleviate the economic need faced by many families.
The Honorable Oscar Leeser
City of El Paso Mayor
The Paso del Norte Community Foundation was established in 2013 to work with community partners to improve health, education, social services, economic development and quality of life in the Paso del Norte region. The PDN Community Foundation is the home of the Paso del Norte Health Foundation and over 100 community-based funds, including eight COVID-19 Response Funds providing support to nonprofit organizations serving the most vulnerable in our community.
BakerRipley, founded in 1907, brings resources, education, and connection to nearly 600,000 individuals in Greater Houston each year through holistic community-based programs that support socioeconomic mobility, health and wellness, and disaster recovery. BakerRipley most recently administered the City of Houston’s $15 million COVID-19 Rental Assistance Program.
Connective (formerly Harvey Home Connect) is a disaster recovery and preparedness system. We provide coordinated recovery for communities in need, and do so through building human-centered intake and application processes, technology-enabled coordination tools, and streamlined data analysis.
