Section 8 users still waiting for IHA payments

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A Section 8 user on Wednesday said neither she nor her landlord have gotten any updates about the resumption of rental assistance.

Ashley Slay said the Indianapolis Housing Agency covers $621 worth of her monthly rent, a little more than half the total amount. She said that amount is still in arrears for the month of October and November payments are due any day. Slay said she is not in any financial position to cover that entire amount on her own.

“It would have to be like a couple weeks of budgeting, maybe a month, getting things spanned out in other areas,” she said.

The IHA is still recovering from a ransomware attack at the beginning of October that stole users’ financial data. The agency said it has paid everyone’s October and November rents as of Monday. Slay’s account still showed she owed the money as of midday Wednesday. She said her landlord is not charging her any late fees but has also told her they will look into “potential further action” if she isn’t able to make payments.

Slay said she has four school-age children to care for and often works six to seven days a week. She said she doesn’t have any other resources, financial or otherwise, to fall back on.

“It’s really frustrating and I feel bad for my landlords because it’s like I’m frustrated with them but it’s not their fault,” she said. “And so at this point, I’m just trying to tie up the ends on my own and figure out what my next move is going to be because I’m not getting any movement from anywhere else.”

IHA staff said payment processing depends in part on one’s bank. They would not answer News 8’s further questions.