Rental Assistance Updates

Update from Feb. 26, 2021

IHCDA has indicated that they plan to open the STATEWIDE rental assistance portal the week of March 1. At this time, IAA does not know when exactly the portal will open but will notify members as we get more information.

 

Update from Feb. 23, 2021: Yesterday, the United State Department of Treasury released updated Frequently Asked Questions on the rental assistance program. Under the new and superseding guidance, these funds can be used to help those receiving federal subsidies for housing, tenant legal services, and even internet expenses. Additionally, the government relaxed some of the tenant verification requirements. In other words, this is a fairly large change that likely will delay the roll out of the federal government’s emergency rental assistance program. In conversations with IHCDA and Indianapolis, they indicated every intention to roll out their rental assistance program this week or next. However, this new guidance, likely will change programming and even the application process.

Other municipalities are beginning to develop their programs and are likely weeks behind Indianapolis and IHCDA. South Bend has reached out to IAA asking to meet with us in a few weeks to share the details of their programs. We are in contact with every community or a representative from every community who has been awarded rental assistance.

IAA will continue to provide updates, as we learn more.

Update from Feb. 10, 2021: The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) has released the draft program policy for the Indiana Emergency Rental Assistance (IERA) program. A final draft of the program policy will be released later this month. Click here to view the draft program policy.

 

Update from Feb. 4, 2021: On Feb. 4, the Department of Treasury released the Indiana cities and counties that have been awards rental assistance funds from the COVID-19 Relief Package passed back in December 2020. Please see the graphic below for the list of cities and counties that will be receiving assistance. IAA is still awaiting more information on when these cities and counties will receive these funds and how they will be distributed. We will continue to keep you updated on this matter as we learn more.

 

Update from Feb. 1, 2021: As we’ve shared a couple weeks ago, Indiana will be receiving over $440 million in emergency rental assistance funding through the new federal COVID-19 Relief Bill. The ERA program is being administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury and they requested that state and qualifying local units of government submit their applications for ERA funds by January 12th. The State of Indiana and several Indiana counties and cities with a population of 200,000 or greater applied prior to this deadline.

Yesterday, the U.S. Treasury released a Frequently Asked Questions document that provides some insight regarding the new rental assistance program. IAA would caution members that the details in the FAQ will likely not identically reflect IHCDA or Indianapolis’ new program, as significant discretion is given to each grantee in how they handle their administration of funds. However, the information contained in this document does answer some questions regarding how the money MAY be used.

It is important to note that this program is different from previous COVID-19 rental assistance programs offered in Indiana. Therefore, anyone that needs rental assistance, and not currently receiving it from another source, should consider applying to this new program if they meet the eligibility requirements.

An “eligible household” under the ERA program is defined by the U.S. Department of Treasury as a renter household in which at least one or more individuals meets the following criteria:

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

IAA will continue to work directly with IHCDA and alert you when more guidance becomes available regarding the Emergency Rental Assistance.

This page was last updated at 4:38 PM EST on Friday, Feb. 26, 2021.

Statewide Rental Assistance Program Updates

As of Feb. 1, 2021, the Statewide Rental Assistance Portal is not accepting applications at this time. Renters who submitted an application will be contacted after it has been reviewed. Questions can be directed to: [email protected].

If you are interested in subscribing to receive updates about housing assistance resources during the COVID-19 pandemic, please click here.

Individuals subscribing to this list will be notified when additional COVID-19 housing assistance resources become available.

For more information, visit the IHCDA website here.

Indianapolis Rental Assistance Program Updates

As of Feb. 1., 2021, the IndyRent Rental Assistance Program is currently closed.

Visit indyrent.org for more information.