Landlord Ignoring Any Sort Of Communication After Rental Assistance

location: tallahassee, FL

as the title says, my landlords are ignoring me after trying to receive rental assistance.

for context, i live in half traditional and half student living complex. i had to apply for rental assistance through the direct emergency assistance program back in the end of november, and eventually got approved for it in december. i’m already behind on rent after losing my job, but i’ve been communicating with my apartment complex as to what’s going on, actively looking and applying to jobs, rental resources, anything i can find and do to get back on track. ive been making sure that they’re in the loop of everything, and that i’m not just trying to cheat them out of rent.

well, the DEAP (direct emergency assistance program) mailed out the check for partial payment on december 22nd (they can only cover so much, not the full amount). it’s already been almost a month and there’s no update to my account whatsoever. i’ve been calling and emailing not only my apartment management, but the person who also works with tenants on rent payments. all emails go unanswered, phone calls are ignored, and when i do go into the office, im told that management isn’t there for the day. i was told over email i can set up an appointment to talk about this, but every time i have tried to, my emails and voicemails still go unanswered.

even though all of this is happening, my complex has signed paperwork with my case worker from the DEAP for a promise to pay, promise to not add late fees or proceed with eviction while everything is processing, and having them work with me on making payments for the rest of rent. i’ve also contacted my case worker as well, and she doesn’t understand what’s going on, why they haven’t received the payment, and why they’re dodging her calls too. i’m not sure if they’re choosing to ignore me to get me out faster or what, but it’s pretty stressful to think about.

what all do i do in this case, or who do i speak to about it? i know it’s a lot, but i’ve never actually had a situation happen like this before.