The Emergency Rental Assistance Program
This program is a direct product of the COVID-19 pandemic. The program makes available $25 billion to keep families in their homes if they are unable to pay rent and utilities due to the crisis.
Do I Qualify?
There is criteria that an individual must meet in order to qualify for The Emergency Rental Assistance Program. At lease one individual per family must meet the following criteria:
- Qualifies for unemployment or has experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced a financial hardship due to COVID-19. You must be unemployed for at least 90 days prior to the application.
- Demonstrates a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability.
- Has a household income at or below 80 percent of the area median. Household income is calculated as an overall total for the past year, 2020, or the monthly income of the household at the time of application.
You may receive up to 12 months of assistance plus an additional three months if it is determined that the extra months are needed to secure a proper living situation.
How Do I Apply?
You must submit an application to programs established by your state or territory. If you are unable to submit an application on your own your landlord may be qualified to do so for you. In general, the funds will be transferred from the assistance program directly to the landlord.
How Do I Find A Local Program?
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is the government funded department that focuses on community development and homeownership.
Regardless of your impact by COVID-19, this agency support all individuals who need rental assistance. This could look like public housing, privately owned subsidized housing or a housing choice voucher program where you can apply the funds to the housing that best suits your needs.
Find affordable rentals and special needs housing, or get help with your utility bills by searching programs by state.
If you have an injury or illness that prevents you from working a full-time job, you could receive up to $3,148 per month in financial assistance from the Federal Government. To see how much you could qualify to receive, please complete this short 30 second form.
