FAQs - COA Emergency Assistance Programs

Emergency Rental Assistance FAQ

  1. Tenants apply for ERA. But in order for an application to be complete, your landlord must participate as well.

     

    • You, or an adult member of your household, has had a loss of income due to COVID-19;
    • You have an unpaid rent balance that began on or after March 1, 2020;
    • Your household income before March 1, 2020 was less than the maximum allowed for your area; AND
    • You submit all required documents by the document deadline.

     

  3. No, the application is short. It may only take you 10 minutes to apply. You will be asked to provide identification. Forms of acceptable IDs include:

    • Driver’s license
    • Temporary Visitors Driver’s License
    • Matricula Consular
    • Foreign Passport (regardless of expiration date)
    • Resident Identity Card

    If the address on your ID is not current, you must also provide evidence of your current address, such as:

    • Utility Bill (issued within 90 days of application)
    • Bank Statement (dated within 90 days prior to application)
    • Credit Card/Debit Card Statement (dated within 90 days prior to application)
    • Social Security Award Letter (dated within 90 days prior to application)

     

  4. Yes, you may apply if you live with one or more roommates, but only one application per household is allowed.

     

  5. To qualify, your pre-COVID-19 income had to be at or below 80 percent of the Area Median Income. Please input your income and zip code at era.ihda.org to see if you are eligible to apply.

     

  6. Unfortunately, you’re ineligible for this assistance if your household income exceeded the maximum limit.

     

  7. The application requires a self-certification of income loss due to COVID-19. You must certify under penalty of perjury that all the information in your application is true and accurate.

     

  8. No. A reduction in hours due to COVID-19 is also acceptable.

     

  9. Applications must be submitted using the online application portal.

    If you cannot apply directly, IHDA has partnered with 62 Community and Outreach Assistance organizations who will assist you in preparing and submitting your application at no cost.

    You can find a list of available agencies via the Resource button on era.ihda.org or by contacting IHDA’s call center at (312) 883-2720, or toll-free at (888) 252-1119. For those who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech-impaired, please contact Navicore Solutions for free assistance at (877) 274-4309 (TTY).

     

  10. Notify your landlord that you applied for assistance under ERA. Let your landlord know that they will receive an email from the IHDA ERA program inviting them to submit required documents.

     

  11. In order to have a completed application for rental assistance, you must provide a legal document with your current address. See the full list of acceptable documents below.

     

     

  12. Unfortunately, you’re ineligible for ERA assistance if you do not have a written lease or contract. Please reach out to one of our housing partners via the Resource button on era.ihda.org for further assistance.

     

  13. Unfortunately, you’re ineligible for this assistance if you do not have a current lease. Please reach out to one of our housing partners via the Resource button on era.ihda.org for further assistance.

     

  14. Yes, you may still apply so long as you have not been evicted. Please inform your landlord, legal representation and county judge (if applicable) that you have applied for the program. Please reach out to one of the legal aid organizations via the Resource button on era.ihda.org.

     

  15. Unfortunately, you’re ineligible for ERA assistance if you receive subsidized rental assistance payments from another source. If you reside in subsidized housing and have a loss of household income, please contact your landlord or local housing authority to report your change of income as the federal government has made additional resources available to landlords who participate in voucher programs.

     

  16. Unfortunately, you’re ineligible for ERA assistance if you have received COVID-related rental assistance from another unit of government or Federal/State Agency.

     

  17. No, an application is not a guarantee of assistance.

     

  18. Unfortunately, we cannot provide you with an application status. We understand that waiting can be difficult, and the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IDHA) is deploying all resources to process applications as quickly as possible. We appreciate your patience.

     

     

  19. After the ERA application window closes, you will receive an email within 2-3 weeks alerting you if you have been approved for the grant and your landlord will receive the funds as soon as 10 business days after approval.

     

  20. No, this assistance is a grant and repayment is not required.

     

  21. No. The assistance is due to an emergency and is structured as a one-time grant payment; neither the tenant nor the landlord will be taxed.

     

  22. No. As a condition of accepting the assistance, your landlord or property manager must waive all late fees and penalties on your account.

     

  23. The U.S. Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (P.L. 116-136) which allocated $3.5 billion in Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF) to the State of Illinois to cover certain expenses.

    The Illinois General Assembly then allocated $396 million in CRF dollars to IHDA in the FY2021 Budget (P.A. 101-0637). This money must be used to fund affordable housing grants, for the benefit of persons impacted by the COVID-19 public health emergency, for emergency rental assistance, emergency mortgage assistance and subordinate financing.