Updated: May 25, 2021

ILLINOIS AND INDIANA FEDERAL PROGRAMS

INDIANA RESIDENTS (excluding Lake County Residents)

START YOUR APPLICATION HERE – https://apply.ihcda.in.gov/submit 

Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority announced today that they are now accepting applications for the next round of the Indiana Emergency Rental Assistance (IERA) program. IERA can provide eligible renters with up to twelve (12) months of rental assistance. Qualifying applicants may also receive utility and/or home energy assistance for past due utilities (electric, gas, water, sewer, and trash) and home energy (fuel oil, wood, coal, pellets, and propane) expenses and internet/ broadband assistance for past due internet expenses.

ATTENTION HOMEOWNERS: You must select “Rent Our Home” and apply for assistance on your site rent.

ATTENTION RENTERS: Please make sure to include both site and home rent.

You may be eligible for the program if you meet the following criteria:

• Qualify for unemployment or have experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced a financial hardship due to COVID-19
• Demonstrate a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability
• Have a household income at or below 80 percent of the area median

If you meet the eligibility requirements listed above you are encouraged to apply for the program. However, this is not intended to be a complete list of eligibility requirements.

Important Note: Individuals living in Lake County are not eligible to apply for the IERA program. Households living in these areas must apply for rental assistance with Lake County (see below).

We are kindly requesting that you send us a copy of your completed application once you are finished. This will help us for purposes of tracking the rental assistance. Please reach out to your community manager immediately if you have any questions!

LAKE COUNTY, INDIANA RESIDENTS

START YOUR APPLICATION HERE – https://www.lakecountyin.care/

The application portal is fully open for the Lake County Emergency Rental Assistance Program.

Applicants who have a household income less than 50% of the area median income OR who have a household member who has been unemployed for a full 90 days as of the date of the application will receive priority status through April 21, 2021.

To avoid unnecessary delays, please review the instructions carefully and provide all documentation and information required.

You can download step-by-step instructions for this application. Questions can be sent to ERA@geminus.org or call 219-685-1499.

ILLINOIS RESIDENTS

**The Illinois Rental Payment Program is now open for landlords only.

Landlords may begin to apply for assistance at https://ilrpp.ihda.org/.

ILRPP is an emergency rental assistance program designed to support households in Illinois that are unable to pay rent due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The application site is now open for applications.

• Housing providers/landlords may initiate a joint application starting Monday, May 17 through Monday, June 7.
  • Tenants will have until Monday, June 14 to complete their portion of a landlord-initiated application.

To apply, please visit the application site at https://ilrpp.ihda.org.

Important Links

• Need help with an application, find a Housing Stability Service (HSS) Provider here.
• Need to find ILRPP income limits, find ILRPP income limits here.

You may find more program information below including our “How to Apply” video (in English and Spanish), grant information, eligibility requirements, FAQs and other resources.

Grant Information

Applicants are eligible for up to 15 months of assistance. The grant can cover the past due rent from the previous 12 months and future rental assistance for the next three months, if deemed necessary. The maximum grant amount is $25,000. The emergency rental assistance is provided by the Federal government and is free to tenant and housing provider. If approved, the grant will be paid to the housing provider in the form of a check.

Eligibility Requirements

In order to receive financial assistance through ILRPP, tenants must meet all of the following:

· Household’s total gross income cannot exceed 80% Area Median Income for location

· The household has experienced a loss of income due to COVID-19, for example:

◦ Being laid off

◦ Place of employment has closed

◦ Reduction in hours of work

◦ Loss of spousal/child support

◦ Inability to find work due to COVID-19

◦ Having to stay home with children due to closure of day care/school

◦ Unable to participate in previous employment due to the workplace’s high risk of severe illness from COVID-19

· At risk of homelessness or housing instability

Documentation Requirements

· Housing Providers

◦ Evidence of past-due rent

◦ Copy of 2019 Property Tax Bill or 2021 monthly mortgage statement

◦ Grant payment information for check distribution

◦ Current signed lease (if available)

◦ SSN or ITIN

◦ Employer Identification Number (if payment is made to a business entity)

◦ Rental unit information (unit type, address, rent amount)

◦ Fully executed and current property management agreement (if payment is made to a property manager)

◦ Valid email address

· Tenants

◦ Government-issued photo ID

◦ A utility bill or proof of address (if the address on your ID is not your current address)

◦ Monthly rent and amount past-due

◦ Proof of household income in 2020

◦ Proof of public assistance (if applicable)

◦ Valid email address

◦ Proof of immigration status (or social security number) is not required

The application will be a joint application from the housing provider and the tenant. We strongly encourage you to communicate with each other and begin preparing your materials. We look forward to launching the program in the near future.