Nearly two months after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal ban on evicting tenants who couldn't pay rent because of the pandemic, an unprecedented amount of relief money — more than $1 billion for Pennsylvania alone — has kept a feared eviction wave at bay.

But Spotlight PA reports that across Pennsylvania's 67 counties, each with its own rental assistance program, the rules and results vary, while a lack of coordination continues to leave some renters in a pinch.

In Dauphin County, which had the state's highest rate of eviction filings before the pandemic, interviews with tenants, local judges, and assistance coordinators revealed that long waits for help and plenty of confusion remain.

THE CONTEXT: With $18 million in rent and utility relief at its disposal, Dauphin County had spent roughly half that amount as of Oct. 15.

Almost 2,900 applications are still somewhere in the pipeline, resulting in months-long waits for tenants, many with eviction hearings looming. Other renters had no idea the help was even available.

Local judges who hear eviction cases are under no obligation to delay proceedings if someone is waiting on the county to process a relief application. And when such hearings arrive before the money, tenants are mostly on the losing end: Landlords win roughly 70% of cases.