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 The Illinois Rental Payment Program (ILRPP)
will deploy multiple rounds of funding totaling $1.1 billion dollars
to Illinois renters and landlords in an effort to prevent evictions.
An additional $400 million in rental assistance will be provided by
larger municipalities. The state will also be standing up a separate
program to support homeowners with $400 million in mortgage
assistance.
Governor Pritzker also signed HB 2877 into law establishing a new
structure to efficiently distribute rental assistance to Illinois
residents and provide for sealing of eviction records until August
1, 2022.
“It was clear when we implemented last year’s housing relief
programs that the need was far greater than the dollars allocated to
our state. That’s why I’m pleased to announce today that Illinois is
expanding rental relief to $1.5 billion, nearly 4 times the amount
that was available last year,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “The
Illinois Rental Payment Program will ensure more than 120,000
household renters see relief, with more renters potentially being
touched in the future, too. Any eligible resident who rents their
home, is behind on payments, and experienced financial hardship in
the pandemic is eligible to apply for up to $25,000 of rental
assistance paid directly to their housing provider or landlord.”
ILRPP builds on the state’s comprehensive rental assistance program
launched by the Pritzker administration last year, delivering over
$329 million in housing payment grants to over 56,000 renters and
homeowners across the state. Overall, the new rental programs are
expected to assist more than 120,000 households. In addition, the
Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) is
overseeing the Help Illinois Families program and Utility
Disconnection Avoidance Program, which has prevented disruption in
utility service for thousands of Illinois households using $280
million in federal and state assistance.
“At a time when so many are facing financial hardship and
uncertainty, it was critical that the government provide assistance
to keep families in their homes. That’s why I strongly supported
this funding for rental assistance in our federal COVID relief
packages,” said U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL). “I encourage anyone
struggling to pay rent to see if they qualify for this assistance.”
HB 2877
HB 2877 creates the COVID-19 Federal Emergency Rental Assistance
Program Act, providing additional protections for renters and
homeowners and establishing an even stronger framework for rental
assistance programs. Signing HB 2877 reaffirms the Pritzker
administration and General Assembly’s commitment to housing
stability, as it creates a program to effectively administer rental
assistance to struggling household and temporarily enhances eviction
sealing and foreclosure protections.
“Families suffering from financial hardship should not have to worry
about losing their homes. I’m proud to have taken action, with my
colleagues in the General Assembly, preventing evictions and
providing funding for the rent assistance working families need.
Legislation like House Bill 2877 will give people experiencing
housing distress the means to keep a roof over their heads as they
seek better opportunities as the economy recovers from the
pandemic,” said Majority Caucus Whip Omar Aquino (D-Chicago).
"It is critical that vulnerable households have the resources and
support they need to stay in their homes as we recover from this
pandemic, and I am working hard in Springfield to ensure this aid is
available to those most in need," said Assistant Majority Leader
Delia Ramirez (D-Chicago). "I encourage those who have experienced
financial hardship as a result of COVID-19 to speak with their
landlord and apply today.”
"We salute the Governor and the General Assembly on this much needed
legislation for Emergency Rental Assistance. After such a
challenging year when many tenants were unable to pay rent, this
program will help to stabilize neighborhood housing, and stem the
mounting disinvestment in many neighborhoods,” said Michael Glasser,
President of the Neighborhood Building Owners Alliance.
HB 2877 is effective immediately.
Illinois Rental Payment Program
The Illinois Rental Payment Program (ILRPP) will provide direct
funding to support Illinois tenants unable to pay their rent due to
a COVID-19-related loss of income. Approved applicants will receive
one-time grants of up to $25,000 paid directly to their landlords to
cover missed rent payments as far back as June 2020 and prepay
payments through August 2021, or until the $25,000 is exhausted,
whichever comes first. Applications for ILRPP will be accepted
Monday, May 17 through Monday, June 7. Interested residents can
apply online at: ILRPP.IHDA.org.
"The Illinois Housing Development Authority has a proven track
record of helping keep families safe and sheltered as COVID-19
continues to impact our state. In 2020, IHDA assisted over 56,000
families to ensure that they had the resources and support they
needed to stay in their homes," said IHDA Executive Director Kristin
Faust. "I thank Governor Pritzker for entrusting IHDA with this
additional funding, and I encourage those who have seen their income
decline as a result of COVID-19 to visit our application portal and
apply to the Illinois Rental Payment Program today."
Tenant eligibility requirements:
Household must have experienced a financial hardship directly or
indirectly due to the pandemic. 2020
household income was below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI),
adjusted for household size. The household
lives in Illinois and rents their home as their primary residence.
Household must have an unpaid rent balance.
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Priority will be given to households earning less
than 50% of AMI and to households with one or more members that have
been unemployed for at least 90 days.
ILRPP is funded through an appropriation in the federal Consolidated
Appropriations Act of 2021 (P.L. 116-260), which passed in December
2020. This legislation included $900 billion in stimulus relief for
the COVID-19 pandemic, with $25 billion allocated for state and
local government rental assistance programs. The Illinois General
Assembly provided additional guidance for how this funding can best
reach those most in need and increased protections for those facing
eviction through the passage of House Bill 2877, the COVID-19
Federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program Act.
ILRPP leverages and weaves together multiple funding streams to
support this effort, including federal stimulus dollars, Illinois
General Revenue funding and federal Community Development Block
Grant support. It also builds upon existing infrastructure and the
strength of local trusted providers, like Housing Counseling
Agencies, Homeless Continuum of Care networks, Community Action
Agencies, Welcoming Centers and faith and community-based
organizations that are already serving families adversely impacted
by COVID-19.
“People whose lives have been overturned by the COVID-19 pandemic
should not have to endure the additional trauma of housing
insecurity and homelessness,” said State Rep. Lindsey LaPointe
(D-Chicago). “This program will bring much-needed relief to renters
and property owners alike, and it will speed our communities'
recovery as we move forward."
"No family in Illinois should have to worry about losing their home,
especially while in the middle of a pandemic," said State Senator
Robert Peters (D-Chicago). "I'm proud of the steps elected officials
in Washington and Springfield are taking to help ensure individuals,
working families and small landlords receive fair and equitable
access to rental assistance to keep our most vulnerable families
safe and housed.”
In addition to ILRPP, as an extension and expansion of its current
efforts, IDHS is assisting with the deployment of housing,
utilities, and legal assistance. The department also offers other
types of support for those who are at risk of homelessness,
providing direct legal representation and mediation, court-based
rental assistance support and intensive case management
interventions to address other barriers to housing stability that
people may face. The available support services are designed with
equitable policies and practices that focus on those most impacted
by COVID-19 and those communities most vulnerable to experiencing
homelessness.
“We have been and continue to be committed to responding to the
basic needs of Illinois residents,” said IDHS Secretary Grace B. Hou.
“Economic hardship like loss of employment or even a reduction in
hours has deep impacts and can lead to housing insecurity at a time
when families need it most.”
Utilities Assistance and Shutoff Avoidance Programs
To assist low-income families impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, last
year Governor Pritzker announced the Help Illinois Families program,
aimed at providing emergency relief on household costs through the
Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Community
Services Block Grant (CSBG) programs. To date, more than 260,000
households have received $280 million in benefits through the CSBG
and LIHEAP programs, which includes the Utility Disconnection
Avoidance Program (UDAP) funds directly credited to customer
accounts in threat of imminent disconnection. There is $30 million
in LIHEAP funding still available for new clients through the end of
the current program year which ends May 31, 2021. A new program year
will begin September 1, 2021, and residents qualifying for LIHEAP
will have access to additional funds provided to the state through
the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
“Under Governor Pritzker’s leadership, Illinois has prioritized a
swift economic response for those most in need, with programs like
Help Illinois Families and the Utilities Disconnection Avoidance
Program not only helping offset the costs of energy and household
bills but providing assistance to hundreds of thousands of
low-income families across the state to help avoid economic crisis,”
said DCEO Acting Director Sylvia Garcia. “While Illinois continues
to make strong progress in our recovery, safety net programs like
these will remain essential as we continue to reopen businesses,
bring back jobs and get more of our residents back into the
economy.”
Additionally, the Governor and DCEO created the UDAP to provide
direct aid to households facing shutoffs due to inability to pay.
UDAP identified customers previously enrolled in LIHEAP who were on
their utility company’s disconnect list. Just weeks into the
program, the State has exceeded its goal of serving 80,000
customers, and has prevented shutoffs for 115,000 customers, with
over $115 million credited to customer accounts to date.
Residents who do not qualify for UDAP can still enroll in LIHEAP
benefits through the ongoing Help Illinois Families program. More
information on how to apply for Help Illinois Families can be found
on HelpIllinoisFamilies.com.
These housing relief programs are part of Governor Pritzker’s
comprehensive response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which spans
economic relief measures taken for residents, businesses and to
ensure a swift and precise health response to protect residents in
the face of this unprecedented pandemic.
For more information and updates on the program, go to
illinoishousinghelp.org.
[Office of the Governor JB Pritzker] |
