Chicago is opening its third round of COVID-19 rental relief today, with more than twice the amount of funding compared to last cycle.

The Emergency Rental Assistance Program is offering up to 15 months of rent and utility relief, fueled by $80 million from the federal Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriation Act that was signed into law in December. It offers “crucial assistance to Chicago renters to avoid a wave of evictions, and to Chicago property owners to avoid foreclosures and resulting housing instability,” the city said in a release. 

The program will offer up to 12 months of back rent and up to three months going forward, Housing Commissioner Marisa Novara said at a press conference today. Novara said she is excited the city can “finally meet the scope of the need this pandemic has created.”

Chicago’s last federally-funded rental assistance round totaled $33 million, and ultimately helped “over 10,000 households,” the release says. 

This program “will bring a much-needed sense of stability to residents who need it most,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said today, and it “comes just in time before the statewide eviction moratorium is phased out.”

Today’s announcement follows on the heels of Cook County’s $73 million rental relief program, which wrapped up earlier this spring, and the state’s $1.5 billion rent program, announced last week. Illinois will wind down its moratorium on pandemic-related evictions by August.  

The Resurrection Project will provide case management services and administer 75 percent of the funds through an online platform designed by Unqork. Applications are open now through the end of the day on June 8 at chicago.gov/renthelp or at the city’s call center: 312-698-0202. 

To be eligible, tenants must live in Chicago; “have suffered a hardship due to COVID-19,” including job loss, reduced hours, or illness within the household; be at risk of housing instability; and not exceed the income thresholds listed here. Landlords can apply for assistance on behalf of a tenant, and can also register their properties to be notified if a tenant has applied for rent help. Non-citizens are eligible for the program.

Separately, the mayor pledged to launch a community engagement process, beginning in June, for how the city should spend the nearly $2 billion in federal relief funds from the American Rescue Plan.

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