A corporate tax break in Pennsylvania worth an estimated $280 million per year operates with little accountability and lacks even the most basic data to determine if it’s actually effective, a recent report found.

The inefficiency was caused by state lawmakers who chose to distribute most of the money by population rather than the actual number of renters in each county.

While a long-feared wave of evictions hasn’t come to pass, a lack of coordination between programs and courts leaves some renters in a pinch.

Pennsylvania has more than $1 billion in rental aid available to people who have fallen behind because of the pandemic.

Advocates hope the move will prompt other counties to issue similar orders, guaranteeing that tenants won’t lose their homes while waiting for help.

As local governments and nonprofits race to distribute $870 million in federal funding for rent and utility relief, just 17% of that money has reached desperate tenants.

The aid is targeted at businesses with fewer than 300 employees that have lost at least 25% of their sales as a result of the pandemic.