Do you need help with rent payments? Are you looking for emergency housing assistance? The government has established multiple rental relief and housing assistance programs for people who need help paying rent and keeping their homes. If you meet the programs’ income requirements and other criteria, you may qualify for rental assistance.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) manages the applications and approvals for many of these programs, and they make it easy to find and apply for various housing and rental assistance programs. It’s important to note that program availability can depend on where you live, but you can find some sort of rental relief in most cities and towns.
Discover more about what these programs offer and their qualification requirements so see if you might qualify.
If you need help paying rent, you may qualify for one or more housing assistance programs offered by the federal government, your state’s government or charity organizations that help with housing. These programs are specifically for helping people who are struggling to pay rent and preventing them from losing their homes due to not making payments.
So, whether you need emergency funds to pay rent due to a current situation or you are looking for safe and affordable housing, these four programs may offer the relief you’re looking for:
1. Housing Choice Voucher Program: This program, also referred to as Section 8, is a HUD rental assistance program that helps low-income individuals and families, the elderly and people with disabilities find safe homes at affordable rental rates.
There is a lot of demand for Section 8 houses for rent because these rental rates are significantly lower. But if you’re interested in getting this impactful relief, apply through your local Public Housing Authority as soon as possible to join a waiting list.
2. Emergency Rental Assistance Program: This rental assistance program is available in many states under various state-specific names, but they all provide pandemic rental assistance to families and individuals who cannot pay their rent and/or utilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
3. Continuum of Care (CoC): The program aims to prevent and end homelessness across the U.S. If you qualify, you can get free legal advice from tenant lawyers or receive Emergency Solutions Grants (ESGs) that you can use to pay rent.
4. Public Housing: This housing assistance program is similar to Section 8 in that it provides rental assistance through the local Public Housing Authority. But, while Section 8 allows you to choose your own home to rent, the Public Housing program assigns you a unit to live in.
In order to qualify, you have to meet income and family size requirements.
Has the coronavirus pandemic negatively impacted your income or ability to pay rent? If so, there is rental assistance through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program. It’s a federally funded rental relief and housing assistance program that’s available to qualifying individuals and families in U.S. states, territories and tribes.
Since the program is facilitated by state and local governments, you may see and hear this program referred to by different names. For example, Florida residents may qualify for the Opportunities for Utilities and Rental Assistance (OUR) Florida program, while some New Yorkers can qualify for the New York State Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
However, all of these programs have the same purpose: to provide people and families in need of rental assistance emergency funds to keep their homes.
Learn how you might be able to get the help you need during a worldwide emergency situation by reading the section below.
