A series of critical errors have been made throughout the pandemic when it comes to aiding vulnerable renters who were in need of assistance as the coronavirus pandemic put a strain on their finances. A group of Connecticut renters were among those recipients who were overpaid in relief funds; however, with a request to those affected, the officials in charge of providing aid are asking for the money to be paid back.
Reports from GodzillaNewz suggest that some participants of the program were offered the maximum amount of aid on accident, which ultimately inflated the amount of money given. Reports suggest that a cohort of renters were slid into a higher income bracket, when in reality they were entitled to a lower amount for assistance.
These errors have caused some of the recipients to owe more money than they had received in funds from the state’s Department of Housing. The department has issued a statement to those who received too much aid indicating that they were entitled to pay back any of the excess amount that they had received.
The state is looking to reimburse those affected by the errors in the system, and have offered to set up an easy repayment plan for the renters in question for those who wish to not receive a bill for the entire amount.
Connecticut Department of Housing Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno commented on the situation, “We messed up. We must pay them back and make it right. We are offering an expedited review process to ensure their payments are corrected quickly.” Bruno is making sure to emphasize the robbery of those who were vulnerable to this situation and wanted to make sure that it was handled promptly and correctly.
In order to move forward with the repayment plan, officials from the Department of Housing have had to double their efforts and analyze the full system to prevent this issue from happening again. The department has implemented coding checks, human oversight, and larger test pools for the programs to help avoid any other costly mistakes.
As the pandemic continues to put an immense strain on renters all across the country, it’s reassuring to see governments and officials looking out for those in need. Though mistakes were made, officials are doing everything they can to make it right and provide the support necessary to those affected.