Thanks to this new rental assistance program, you can make that worry disappear.
If the pandemic made it impossible to pay your rent, you probably became quite familiar with the eviction moratorium. Now that it’s out of the picture, it’s time to familiarize yourself with something else: The Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) program. Here are all the details you need to know before getting started.
How to Find Your Local ERA Program
The U.S. Department of Treasury has billions of dollars allocated for emergency rental assistance. You won’t be contacting them to get help, though, as that money is split between 495 state and local programs.
Such a division of funding has kept many people from getting rental assistance. You don’t have to be one of them, though, as you can get direct assistance by finding your local program through this link.
With 495 programs accessible through that link, you should be able to find the office you’re looking for. If you can’t, though, dial 211 on your phone. When an operator picks up, tell them you’re having trouble finding the emergency rental assistance program nearest you.
Emergency Rental Assistance Requirements
Although the pandemic probably affected us all in one way or another, there is simply not enough funding to help every renter in the U.S. As such, you will need to meet eligibility requirements to get rental assistance.
As you can imagine, these requirements can differ between local programs. So you know what to expect, here are the basic requirements of the ERA program:
- Meeting local income requirements (making below a certain level of income for where you live).
- Housing instability (being under the threat of eviction, having rent or utility bills that are past due)
- Rental agreement (having something that says how much rent you owe and where).
If you feel like those requirements describe your situation, you may qualify for the ERA program.
Regardless, contact your local program to get a definitive answer.
Benefits of the ERA Program
You may feel overwhelmed at the amount of past-due bills you have related to housing. Provided your local program has enough funding, you could get some much-needed peace of mind, as here is what ERA intends to pay:
- Overdue rent from as far back as March 13, 2020.
- Future rent.
- Past due bills from as far back as March 13, 2020.
As you can see, the ERA program can clean up your past finances dating to March of last year, as that’s when a national state of emergency was declared. So, if you had issues paying rent, utilities, Internet, etc., qualifying for emergency rental assistance can fix them all.
What about moving expenses? If the pandemic caused you to move, you could get reimbursed for any costs you incurred due to relocating. This includes application/screening fees, security deposits, late fees, and even hotel/motel bills.
Are you guaranteed to get total funding for all of these expenses? Once again, it all depends on your local program, so contact them now to find out how much assistance is available.
Section 8 Assist