$5000 Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) Program

Are you struggling to pay your rent due to COVID-19? Are you a landlord with a tenant who is behind on rent?

Tenants who have fallen behind on rent because of by COVID-19 can get a $5,000 grant to catch up. The grant is called Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) from the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA).

To get an ERA grant, a tenant must:

  • Have fallen behind on rent on / after March 1, 2020
  • Not receive any HUD rental subsidy
  • Not receive COVID-19 rental relief from another source

Additional eligibility criteria apply. For more information, visit: era.ihda.org. FAQs available here.

Tenants must apply directly on IHDA’s website: era.ihda.org. The application takes around 10 mins. The landlord must participate later and submit their own information. All grants will be paid directly to the landlord.

The application window is now closed.

If you are a tenant and have problems with your landlord, go to rentervention.com. You can also call CARPLS at 312-783-9200.

To be eligible for ERA:

Home

Your household income before march 1, 2020 was within the allowable limits.

Piggy bank

You, or an adult member of your household, suffered a loss of income due to COVID-19

Money

You missed a rent payment on or after March 1, 2020, and your landlord is willing to participate

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