Tidal Basin, a Michael Baker International Company, administered the state’s $1.6 billion U.S. Treasury-funded Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) for low-income households impacted by the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency.
Our team provided full grant management, case management, call center, marketing and outreach services, as well as intake and entry of applications through a tailored tenant and landlord portal. The tenant and landlord portal was customized for the program, enabling management to implement changes quickly and track production goals and productivity.
To service residents, we launched a call center and case management staff of 500+ within three weeks of contract notice to proceed, managing a peak staff of 1,600 employees across the call center, eligibility review and quality control. We designed training to onboard staff for in-person and remote work, critical during the long public health emergency. Additionally, we managed two program offices that hosted both walk-in and scheduled appointments. Our team coordinated with the Florida Department of Children and Families to place program staff in 16 public benefits offices throughout the state. This reach enabled the program to assist both tenants and landlords with scanning documents or understanding eligibility requirements.
Tidal Basin was responsible for ensuring payments were made only to eligible applicants, avoiding duplication of benefits, and within the expenditure deadline assigned by the U.S. Treasury. For example, we coordinated with counties and cities with direct allocations from the Treasury to prevent duplicative payments throughout the state.
Program Services Included:
- Grant and Case Management
- Applicant Intake and Eligibility, Online and In-person
- Technology Solutions
- Payment Processing
- Monitoring, Compliance and Required Federal and State Reporting
- Call Center Management and Training
- Marketing, Branding and Public Outreach
- Stakeholder Engagement and Coordination
- Website Development and Maintenance