It Takes A Team: Distributing Rental Assistance to Toledoans

An additional $19.4 million in emergency rental assistance was recently awarded to Toledo residents due to the success of the first two rounds of funding allocated to community members in need.

Employees with the Department of Housing and Community development were instrumental in getting those funds to the residents.

Pictured left to right: Mariah Coleman, Monica Smith, Tericka Crawford, Lindsey Byard, Director Rosalyn Clemens, Charles Turnbough Sr., Commissioner Tiffanie McNair, Lydia Marentette, Dawn Meek, Jackie Agner

“We really lucked out with this group,” Tiffanie McNair, Housing Commissioner said. “All of them are sincere and really dedicated. They recognize how important the Rental Assistance Program is to the people in our community.”

One team member spent hours at the Days Inn Hotel helping a mother secure affordable housing for her family with the help of rental assistance.

“Our City of Toledo employee was patient, kind, and worked tirelessly until the family got funding,” McNair said. “The family moved into their new home shortly before the hotel was shut down. The tangible results of this program have been truly amazing,” McNair said.

The team does the bulk of the processing and approving of the applications, but most consider this a mission rather than a career path. On a few occasions, employees have hand-delivered checks in sealed envelopes to landlords and tenants to keep them out of court.

“Our team knows that this is not really about us, it is about the people in our community that need this help, and we cannot fail them,” McNair said.

McNair said that she cannot thank her team enough. “None of the success stories would have happened without them,” McNair said. “They showed up and showed out.”

“They have sacrificed a lot of their time and their energy and their personal lives, McNair said. “They deserve a great pat on the back for all the work that they’ve done.”