Dekalb's Rental Assistance Program Leaders Retaliate on Whistleblower

Since the September 2021 Dekalb virtual town hall meeting, hosted by Dekalb County Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson, the "lamented burdensome red tape" Dekalb County CEO's tenant-Landlord Assistance Coalition (TLAC)" rental assistance program continues to keep lessors and lessees out of arms reach to crucial government funding. TLAC program remains mostly unchanged in the document requirements causing the red tape and withholding rent assistance; even after the Treasury Department, the federal agency handing out millions of rent assistance dollars, delivers a second round of assistance funds with a much more streamlined process and relaxed documentation requirement guidelines.

I am a landlord and have been bounced, beginning in March 2022, from TLAC, then to statewide assistance, and back to TLAC when Dekalb received more funds; each time having to submit a new application and new updated documents. I have two tenants of different households that applied and on the last day of October 2022, one tenant’s claim was processed and payment submitted; while the other tenant that filed over a month earlier than the first tenant had their already mediated Consent Agreement that was signed by the judge pulled and denied.

Before my tenant abruptly had their claim denied, I voiced concern with guidelines that were outlined in published videos on the TLAC website, concern on the canceling and reissuing of my first tenant’s rent funds, and did share with Deborah Cross, who is said to be a Deputy Program Coordinator of TLAC in one of the videos, of my concerns and questions sent to the Office of the Inspector General at Treasury Department. One major concern was TLAC amending a Consent Agreement that was already mediated by my tenant and myself and was signed by the judge. It was amended without my or my tenant’s knowledge nor were we contacted to inform us of the amendment or given the opportunity to clarify any concerns that triggered the change.

Now, the DENIAL of the second tenant. Within an hour of me voicing my concerns about the changing guidelines and questioning how any landlord or tenant could be successful in getting funding if TLAC keeps moving the “goalpost”, and of my talking to IG at Treasury that the second tenant’s claim was denied. I found out about the denial and the time it was denied when I called and the TLAC call center told me and tried for over 30 minutes to get more clarification from Ms. George, the person that was guided to deny the claim.

My tenant and I have been ghosted by TLAC and were told there is no appeal process or communication asking for clarification or providing clarifying documentation. The reason for denial is false and a clear misunderstanding or alternate interpretation of the submitted documents by TLAC. There is no appeal process or ability to speak to someone to clarify misunderstanding by TLAC for a publicly, and taxpayer, funded social assistance program. I held off on evicting my disabled veteran tenant on good faith and solely based on our application being accepted and found eligible for the program, which is step 2 of the process outlined by TLAC.

I have tried multiple times to speak to leadership at TLAC and have sent two meeting requests to CEO Michael Thurmond’s office. Nobody has contacted me.