 In addition, today IHDA announced it has completed
the review of all 70,000 applications received during the first
application round in June, with an additional 25,000 applications
currently in the pipeline to review from the second round. Landlords
with in-progress applications already initiated by their tenants are
encouraged to complete their portion of the application before the
deadline on Sunday, August 15.
“It is critically important to keep families across the state in
stable housing for both the health of our communities and to help
our state rebuild from the pandemic,” said Governor JB Pritzker.
“That’s why my administration continues to do everything we can to
provide much-needed support for Illinois residents who have been hit
hardest by the pandemic. I’m proud that last year, Illinois was the
best in the nation at getting relief to renters and homeowners. And
as the eviction moratorium phases out, we remain committed to
helping families get and keep the affordable housing they deserve.”
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Pritzker announced a
statewide eviction moratorium for tenants while launching emergency
assistance programs that included extensive relief for renters,
landlords, and homeowners. These efforts helped stave off a wave of
evictions and foreclosures that would have led to unprecedented
housing instability, increasing the risk of spreading COVID-19. From
July to December 2020, IHDA provided $230.6 million in emergency
rental assistance to 46,129 households and $98.5 million in
emergency mortgage payment assistance to 10,071 households.
Building on existing efforts to ensure the state’s most vulnerable
residents keep a roof over their head, Governor Pritzker announced a
new round of rental assistance in May 2021 to deliver more than $500
million to 63,000 households. On July 29, the Governor signed
landmark legislation that created new programs and incentives to
support affordable housing throughout the state, including a new $75
million program to finance affordable rental housing in areas
impacted by the pandemic.
“IHDA is proud to have reached this benchmark of helping over 22,000
Illinois renters with more than $185 million in emergency rental
assistance, but we know there is more work to do,” said IHDA
Executive Director Kristin Faust. “There are hundreds of millions of
dollars still available, and our staff is reviewing applications as
quickly as possible to make sure this funding reaches those in
need.”
To date, IHDA has received nearly 95,500 completed ILRPP
applications from renters and landlords in 100 of Illinois’ 102
counties. IHDA has approved 22,250 applications and paid out more
than $185 million to renters experiencing hardships due to the
pandemic. Approximately 61% of the approved applications to date
have assisted households who have been unemployed for more than 90
days, and 63% of approvals have assisted extremely-low-income
households.
[to top of second column] |
The program has provided an average of $8,814 per
household, covering up to 12 months of past due rent and up to three
months of future rent. According to data from the U.S. Treasury,
Illinois was the second highest provider of rental assistance among
all grantees in June.
IHDA continues to review applications as quickly as possible and is
prioritizing requests from tenants who are unemployed and those with
extremely low household incomes. IHDA is also working with tenants
who have submitted incomplete applications to help them assemble the
missing documentation necessary to approve funding.
In addition, the Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS) has
programs available to households in need and has awarded over $187
million in assistance to Illinois residents. Assistance has ranged
from direct aid for immigrant communities, legal and court-based
assistance and funding for service providers and non-profits. To see
if you are eligible for any of these programs, please visit:
www.illinoisrental
assistance.org.
“We are pleased that the assistance provides a variety of crucial
resources and services to vulnerable Illinoisans experiencing or at
risk of homelessness, and that they will continue to build a
brighter future for all across the state, said Grace B. Hou,
Secretary, Illinois Department of Human Services. “We understand
that the pandemic has placed a very serious financial burden on
many, and together with IHDA, we are committed to provide the
necessary resources to help give qualifying Illinois families an
avenue for temporary relief on essential items like rent and utility
payments when it truly counts the most."
On July 23, the Governor issued an Executive Order that allows
eviction filings against covered persons to begin on Sunday, August
1. The current prohibition on enforcement of eviction orders entered
against covered persons will remain in place until Tuesday, August
31. Enforcement of eviction orders entered against covered persons
will be allowed September 1 and beyond.
The Illinois Supreme Court has issued an order temporarily staying
all trial and judgments in residential eviction proceedings
involving covered persons, with some exceptions. The order takes
effect August 1 and expires September 1, 2021.
Additional rounds of rental assistance, as well as the Illinois
Homeowner Assistance Fund (ILHAF) that will provide mortgage
assistance, will be announced in the coming months. For updates to
these programs, visit: www.ihda.org.
[Office of the Governor JB Pritzker] |
