DON’T MEET ALL THE CRITERIA? TRY THE RENT BANK ANYWAY, SAYS HOUSING MINISTER

People who aren’t sure whether they’re eligible to receive a grant from New Brunswick’s rent bank should still apply, said Housing Minister Jill Green.

The rent bank, first announced as a loan program last summer, launched in December — three weeks ahead of schedule. With $3 million in funding for two years, New Brunswickers can receive as much as $2,750 in grants from the rent bank to pay for utilities, rental arrears or security deposits on new apartments.

People can only apply once per year and can’t receive more than $2,750 over a two-year period. Those who receive social assistance or live in public housing or are part of the program that provides rental assistance to rural and Indigenous households in communities with less than 2,500 people, are not eligible to receive grants for rent payments, but can use the rent bank to pay for utilities or security deposits.

The provincial government is the landlord of public housing and says it can’t distribute rent grants to its own tenants. Manitoba’s rent bank operates the same way.

Green said applications, which rushed in at first, have subsided. Still, Green said the program has received approximately 600 applications and has distributed $22,000 in grants.

The program isn’t without criticism. While pleased it changed from loans to grants, Tobin LeBlanc Haley, an assistant professor at the University of New Brunswick who leads a national study on rent banks and is also a member of the New Brunswick Coalition of Tenants Rights, said the grants should go up to $4,000.

“The amount needs to be higher, and as I’ve said time and time again, rent banks are most effective within the context of a rent-control regime, and we don’t have one,” she said.

Green said $2,750 reflects two months’ rent for a middle-market unit, and the province will assess the program as it continues to determine whether more funding is needed.

Some parts of the application process also concern Haley, such as the requirement to provide a photo identification with a current address. She said that can be challenging for some people, especially if they’re in a financial crisis.

“If you’re moving, especially if you’re couch surfing, let’s say, because of housing precarity, or you’ve had to move a couple of times,” she said. “And it costs money, of course, to change your address.”

Green said there’s “absolutely” a chance someone’s application can be approved without an accurate photo identification, and it’s the role of the interview to figure out what someone’s individual needs are.

“Even if somebody’s in trouble or precariously housed and they’re worried about their future and they don’t meet every single thing on that criteria list, I still want them to apply, because it’s still possible they could receive some funding assistance,” Green said, in an interview.

Distribute funds via non-profits, coalition says

Haley said New Brunswick should consider running the rent-bank grants through not-for-profits instead, allowing public housing tenants to take full advantage of the benefit. Just because someone lives in government-subsidized housing, she said, doesn’t mean that person couldn’t also experience a financial emergency.

“You could still experience something that required a grant,” she said. “What if your car broke down and you couldn’t get to work, what if you had to take time off work because your kid was sick, what if you were sick?”

Green said the province is exploring more partnerships with not-for-profits to operate the rent bank, pointing to Partners for Youth in Fredericton as an example.

“There are definitely thoughts of running it through not-for-profits,” she said.