More than 13,000 Franklin County households pay their landlords with federal housing vouchers administered through the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority.
CMHA dropped CGI, the former contractor of the voucher program, this year after consistent problems. The transition started in February, but there are still problems. CMHA is failing to pay some landlords, which is resulting in some tenants being threatened with eviction.
CMHA spokesperson Aaron Schopp said in an email the organization is "working through some final processes related to our software conversion."
Landlords experiencing problems getting paid can attend workshops next week on July 24 and July 25, where employees will meet with landlords directly, provide updates and make necessary adjustments to resolve issues on site.
Schopp said the housing authority is committed to resolving these issues within the next 30 days.
CMHA has already had trouble attracting landlords to participate in the voucher program.
Tenants and landlords that need help can go to the Client Service Center, located at 1407 Cleveland Ave. The contact number information is 614-421-6000 or they can email contracts@cmhanet.com.
The organization is also extending hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays to include 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., and adding hours on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
CMHA did not answer questions about how many complaints have been filed about the missed payments.
"Our process is that when CMHA receives an inquiry or a complaint by phone or email, the message or call is forwarded to the appropriate department or person to be resolved so that we can address issues as they come in and resolve them as quickly as possible," an email from Schopp said.
When asked how many evictions have been caused by CMHA's errors, the organization did not answer the question.
Schopp replied that when there is an eviction action, CMHA tries to work with the tenant and landlord to help resolve the issue.
"Where CMHA has been notified that non-payment of subsidy to a landlord resulted in an eviction action, CMHA has reached out to both the tenant and the landlord to resolve the payment issues that led to the action," the response said. "At the same time, we expedite the payment process to ensure the landlord receives the rent owed as quickly as possible. Our priority is to protect housing stability for tenants while honoring our commitments to property owners."
WOSU has asked CMHA for more details, including how many eviction actions have been filed or avoided with CMHA intervention.
WOSU has been asking CMHA to furnish and explain financial information about the changes in program costs for months, and hasn't received much of the requested information.
