The Center for Transforming Lives, which runs Tarrant County’s rental and utility assistance program, said it expects to spend its full allotment of just over $2 million before the contract ends in October. CEO Carol Klocek reported the projection to county leaders, saying the aid is moving quickly to meet urgent need.

Klocek told commissioners the program has already distributed nearly $900,000 in rent and utility help to about 440 households. In the past five months staff processed 1,093 applications and officials now expect the remaining funds to be exhausted by mid-September or early October if demand continues at the current pace.

The program opened applications in early November and experienced such heavy demand that it had to close intake within hours. Staff admit the caseload and urgency have outstripped initial expectations: the center had planned to assist roughly 2,200 residents, but that figure has been revised downward because many applicants are carrying arrears from previous months.

The center admits it can only accept about 200 new applicants every three weeks and the slots fill rapidly—sometimes in a matter of hours. Applicants who do not make the cutoff are referred to other local resources, but the shortfall has prompted debate over whether the county’s social safety net is adequate to catch everyone in need.

Precinct 1 Commissioner Roderick Miles Jr. said county government should be a stronger backstop when people fall into hardship. Other commissioners noted the partnership has improved the share of money going directly to clients: under the prior county-run program, roughly 28 cents of every dollar reached households, while the current arrangement directs about 89 cents per dollar to assistance. County leaders say that efficiency was a key goal of the new contract as they work to stabilize as many households as possible with limited funds.