APRIL 1 | Emergency Rental Assistance Program accepts applications
If you need this resource, now is the time to start getting your documents together so you can apply as soon as the online portal reopens on April 1st, 2024. See below for information on the program.
The Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) helps District residents earning less than 40% of the Area Median Income (AMI) who are facing housing emergencies, by providing funding for overdue rent including late fees and court costs if qualified household is facing eviction. The program also supports security deposits and the first month's rent for residents moving into new apartments. The amount paid on behalf of eligible households depends on a household's income and available resources and is subject to certain limitations.
In the past year DHS received an influx of applications and closed the application portal in March 2023. To serve residents effectively and efficiently throughout the year, DHS will open the ERAP application portal on October 1, 2023, January 2, 2024, April 1, 2024, and July 1, 2024. Residents will be able to log-in at 12:00:00 PM on April 1, 2024, and the portal will remain open until 8,500 applications are received. Residents seeking emergency rental assistance are highly encouraged to note the above-mentioned dates and submit applications in a timely manner.
At the end of each fiscal year, September 30th, any incomplete application will be removed from the ERAP application platform. While you may have received an acknowledgement confirming that you started the application, it was not fully submitted. You must start a new application, complete it, and receive a "Submitted" confirmation affirming that your application was submitted successfully. The formal acknowledgement of submission is essential to complete the application process.