Decatur, GA — After becoming the victim of an international cyberattack in March 2021, DeKalb County announced in a press release that it will reopen the application process for its Tenant-Landlord Assistance Coalition next week.

“This cyberattack will not deter us from fulfilling our mission of providing rental assistance to the tenants and landlords who have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond.

Originally launched in February, the program is designed to provide financial relief to DeKalb renters threatened by eviction and landlords facing revenue losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Tenant-Landlord Assistance Coalition program will reopen Monday, June 21, at 8:30 a.m. to new applicants and anyone who previously applied but did not receive assistance. Anyone who previously applied but has not been contacted by a TLAC agent must reapply for assistance. The relaunched program will feature a secure platform for submitting required documents. Additionally, the county has more than doubled the staffing for the program, from 30 to 62.

To date, 237 applicants have been served and more than $908,000 have been distributed. Approximately $21 million has been allocated for the rental assistance program.

On March 24, 2021, DeKalb County’s Department of Innovation and Technology was informed by federal agents of an international cyberattack that impacted the Tenant-Landlord Assistance Coalition program.

Emails or applications previously sent to [email protected] were included on the server that was attacked and are unrecoverable. As DeKalb County announced in an April 1 news release, a criminal investigation is underway.

For more information about the DeKalb Tenant-Landlord Assistance Coalition program, visit www.dekalbcountyga.gov/renthelp or call 404-371-3201.

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