Initial Allocation of 2021 Emergency
Rental Assistance is 100 Percent Disbursed
Governor JB Pritzker recently announced that $505 million of the initial tranche of Illinois’ 2021 emergency rental assistance from the federal government has been distributed, as Illinois leads the nation in getting this funding out the door faster than any other state. More than 57,000 households have now received assistance through the Illinois Rental Payment Program (ILRPP). With Illinois’ initial 2021 allocation of rental relief funds fully paid out, IHDA will open a new round of assistance funded by a separate federal bill on Monday, Nov. 8.
According to the latest report from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Illinois is a national leader in providing critical emergency rental assistance to vulnerable households. Illinois leads all other states in disbursing this initial emergency rental assistance with 84 percent of all funds allocated to the State as well as directly to other municipalities, and now in the hands of eligible renters and landlords as they regain their financial footing. This compares to the national rate of just 23 percent of federal dollars making it into the hands of renters and landlords in September. The deadline for states to disburse 65 percent of the money they received under the first batch of funding was Thursday, Sept. 30.
“I’m proud that Illinois has given out more of our rental assistance to help vulnerable renters and their landlords than any other state. We are first in the nation at putting those dollars to work to support our state’s residents,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “In purely dollars and cents: We’ve now delivered over half a billion dollars in rent to landlords on behalf of struggling tenants in communities across this state. If your workplace closes or you need to stay home to care family, the last thing you should have to worry about is keeping a roof over your head. While the need is still great, I’m proud that we’re continuing to do more than any other state in the nation to keep people in their homes.”
“We know that housing is a right and that the pandemic has threatened that right in unprecedented ways. Since the earliest days of the pandemic, we have met this crisis head-on to alleviate the stress caused by COVID-19,” said
Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. “Renters in 99 of Illinois’ 102 counties have gotten assistance thus far because we were, and continue to be, committed to supporting them. We acted quickly to prevent massive disruption to the lives and wellbeing of Illinoisans by getting aid to the residents who need it the most.”
ILRPP builds on the state’s comprehensive rental assistance programs launched by the Pritzker administration in 2020. The current statewide program provides up to $25,000 in emergency rental assistance to cover up to 15 months of past due rent and up to three months of future rent payments for tenants suffering a financial hardship related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Grant payments were made directly to the landlord on behalf of the tenant as long as the landlord agreed to forgo an eviction.
“I am very proud to be a part of this administration that is leading the country in housing help. I commend Governor Pritzker for his steadfast leadership and Director Faust and her team. IDHS is pleased to complement and advance IHDA’s efforts through an equity, community-based strategy that engages trusted community-based messengers to work in neighborhoods across the state to help families and individuals in need of rental and other types of supports.
IDHS has already deployed $34M to 11,500 households throughout Illinois,” said IDHS Secretary Grace Hou. IHDA received 89,122 ILRPP applications from renters and landlords across Illinois. The department has reviewed all completed applications, approved more than 57,000 applications and paid out $505 million on behalf of renters experiencing pandemic-related hardships.
The program is far reaching, with renters in 99 of Illinois’ 102 counties assisted with ILRPP funds. Approximately 50 percent of the 57,013 approved applications to date have assisted households who have been unemployed for more than 90 days, and 64 percent of approvals have assisted very-low-income households to keep vulnerable tenants in their homes. The program has provided an average of $9,090 per household.
This initial funding for ILRPP was provided through the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, passed in December 2020. Additional rounds of assistance, for both renters and homeowners, will be funded from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, signed into law in March 2021. For future ILRPP and mortgage assistance program information and updates, visit illinoishousinghelp.org.
In addition to the new ILRPP application period opening November 8, IDHS is currently accepting applications for rental assistance. Households looking for assistance should contact an IDHS Service Provider Agency to ask about rental assistance. Provider Agencies will help determine eligibility and assist with the application process. A list of Provider Agencies, as well as organizations offering assistance with utility bills, free legal aid and additional services can be found: www.illinoisrentalassistance.org.
