Call Rafael: Thousands to benefit after rental assistance check isn’t accepted

INDIANAPOLIS — Annette Johnson is all about helping people.

She’s the Pike Township Trustee in the northwest of Indianapolis. Her goal is to give people a hand up during their toughest day. Johnson hand-delivered a check for $884.75 to the Scarborough Apartments and learned a lot.

“They are not going to accept the check. What do you mean? We are a government agency,” Johnson said.  

The tenant receiving rent assistance from Pike Township did not want to appear on camera, so he wrote and left a note for FOX59/CBS4’s Rafael Sanchez in the lobby of the Pike Township Trustee’s office.

“After being approved for rental assistance from the Trustee office, a failed attempt to hand deliver the funds directly to Scarborough Lake was turned away and had to be mailed, making the process for residents a little more lengthy than needed,” said the male tenant.

“I got to figure out how I’m going to get this check into the right hands so we can pay this gentleman’s rent. If you don’t pay rent, they will add extra fees,” Johnson said.

Johnson’s office, one of nine in Marion County, has a budget of about $14 million. It provides emergency relief to nearly 5,000 people every year,

She reached out to FOX59/CBS4 when the government-issued check wasn’t accepted at the apartment complex, though she could mail it to a P.O. Box in Michigan.

“Now we are taking extra money out of taxpayers because you want me to overnight something,” Johnson said.

We reached out to Scarborough’s management company.

A spokesperson sent the following email response:

“Hello Rafael – thank you for reaching out and for providing Annette Johnson’s contact information.  We had a great conversation with her today expressing our gratitude for the assistance provided to our residents by the Trustee’s office along with possible solutions to help support ease of payment.  Since our lease agreement states that resident payment options are permissible by mail, online, WIPS or ACH, we have reached out to our legal team to see if any alternative options may be offered.  We are committed to consistent practices in support of Federal Fair Housing laws and require legal review for any deviation.  As an immediate solution, Annette and her team may mail payments locally to our Carmel, IN office.  This will avoid out of state mailing, which was a primary concern of hers, based on USPS delays and the chain reaction affiliated with such delays.”

“Our checks never bounce—there is too much money—millions of dollars,” Johnson added.

In the end, the tenant’s check was accepted. The trustees and Scarborough’s management team have opened a dialogue on any future concerns.

But big picture, the Pike Township Trustee will now provide rental assistance payments electronically to landlords to speed up the process in helping people in need. This change will benefit thousands moving forward.