River City Ministry, a faith-based nonprofit and day shelter based in North Little Rock, has been confirmed as the new administrator of federal rent grants that left Little Rock tenants facing unpaid balances and eviction after the previous administrator fell under federal scrutiny. The nonprofit has taken over the federal Continuum of Care grants previously run by People Trust Community Loan Fund, and it is now beginning the work of sorting out who still qualifies for help.
A Rocky Handoff After Months of Uncertainty
According to KATV, River City Ministry is now administering the federal housing assistance grants that People Trust Community Loan Fund previously ran. The change comes after the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development confirmed it was investigating People Trust over what the agency described as multiple issues of serious noncompliance, a probe that upended rent assistance for households across central Arkansas.
The path to River City Ministry's takeover was not direct. In July, the City of Little Rock announced plans to temporarily administer the grants through the end of September while officials searched for a permanent replacement, with the expected transfer amount topping $1.6 million, the station's earlier reporting noted. The city intended to help affected tenants keep receiving assistance during the gap, but that plan ultimately fell apart: city officials said they could not accept HUD's terms for administering the grant because of concerns about potential legal liability, and the agreement was never completed, according to KATV.
$300,000 Stopgap While Families Waited
With the city unable to step in, Little Rock instead allocated and distributed $300,000 to support people affected by the compliance mess, as reported by KATV. That stopgap came as families across the city grappled with the fallout of missed rent payments tied to the People Trust program's collapse.
The human cost of the disruption was significant. Torey Slater said he received a 30-day notice to vacate his apartment at Summit at Geyer Springs in Little Rock after rent payments tied to the program stopped, while Alexis Rogers said she came to owe nearly $7,000 and faced eviction if the balance wasn't paid, per the same outlet's earlier coverage. Jacklynn Perkins said the organization failed to make its rent payments for her for a second consecutive year. Beyond Little Rock, the Arkansas Advocate reported that Alexis Mitchell's family lost its home after People Trust stopped administering rental assistance, and that on Aug. 4 the Pulaski County Sheriff's Department ordered her and her family to vacate their house within 20 days.
Eviction Filings Climbing Statewide
The scale of the broader eviction landscape in Arkansas underscores why the funding gap mattered so much to families already on the edge. Arkansas landlords filed 10,213 eviction cases between Aug. 1, 2025, and July 31, 2026, according to the Arkansas Advocate. Against that backdrop, any lapse in rental assistance carries outsized risk for tenants with little room to absorb missed payments.
Nonprofit Begins Recertification Process
River City Ministry's Director of Development and Administration, Letha Todd, said the organization weighed the responsibility carefully before agreeing to take over the grants, and that the nonprofit has already felt the strain of the broader crisis, noting an increase in demand for breakfast and lunch and more children coming through its doors. The organization is now beginning the recertification process to review tenants' information and determine eligibility for continued assistance, with the first recertification date set for Wednesday, Nov. 11. River City Ministry has set additional recertification dates and was finalizing them as of the latest report.
As part of the transition, River City Ministry will host a boot camp for affected tenants, scheduled for today at the Willie Hinton Neighborhood Resource Center on West 12th Street in Little Rock, running from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Even with the new administrator in place, questions remain about how soon affected families will receive assistance.
