August 11, 2021

(Kansas City, MO) – Today, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) joined the Kansas City Council’s Finance, Governance, and Public Safety Committee and testified in support of a proposed plan to bolster access to, and disbursement of, necessary emergency rental assistance (ERA) funds to Kansas Citians seeking assistance.

“While I am pleased that President Biden extended the eviction moratorium – preventing countless individuals and families from losing their homes – we must continue to work hard to ensure the remaining $17 million in emergency rental assistance is accessible to those who seek it,” said Congressman Cleaver. “Keeping people in their homes remains a shared responsibility of all levels of government, which is why I am proud to join Councilwoman Kathryn Shields and Councilwoman Melissa Robinson in urging the City to increase public access to emergency rental assistance funds and mitigate the bureaucratic barriers preventing this substantial federal funding from expeditiously reaching the hands of those in need.”

The proposed plan supported by Congressman Cleaver would:

• Create a call center to follow up with approximately 7,000 applicants that applied for the first round of ERA I – $14 million in total, disbursing the remaining $6 million from the first round of funding.
• Create a physical processing or intake center focused on disbursing the second round of ERA II funding – $11 million in total, focusing on completing the processing of any remaining applicants from the first round of funding and then re-opening the portal to allow new applicants to apply, creating a one-stop-shop for applicants to receive assistance.

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee’s Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Blue Springs, Grain Valley, Oak Grove, North Kansas City, Gladstone, Claycomo, and all of Ray, Lafayette, and Saline Counties. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee; Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development, and Insurance; member of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress; member of the Committee on Homeland Security; and a Senior Whip of the Democratic.