Illinois residents will have another opportunity to apply for up to $25,000 in rent assistance beginning in November.

Gov. JB Pritzker announced at a press conference Tuesday in Springfield that the second application window for federal-funded rental assistance will open Nov. 8. Eventually, the state also will offer mortgage assistance, he said.

“We want to ensure our most vulnerable neighbors get the help that they need,” Pritzker said. To date, Illinois has provided $505 million in rental assistance to more than 57,000 applicants in Illinois Housing Development Authority‘s latest rental assistance program, according to the state.

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Applicants for the rental assistance program being administered by IHDA are eligible for up to $25,000 in rental assistance that can cover up to 15 months of past-due rent and three months of future rent. Households with approved applicants received an average of $9,090 from the state.

“We’re not out of the woods yet,” IHDA executive director Kristin Faust said. “We still have people who have trouble paying their rent.”

IHDA’s rental assistance program is separate from the $60 million Court-Based Rental Assistance Program being administered by the Illinois Department of Human Services. That program is for litigants in eviction court outside of Cook County and provides up to 12 months of past-due rent and three months of future rent.

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“While eviction filings have been modest compared to pre-pandemic levels, we are prepared and committed to meet the need if there is an increase in these filings,” IDHS Secretary Grace Hou said.

Landlords and tenants will have to provide documentation in order to qualify for IDHS’ program though proof of citizenship is not required. If the two sides opt into the program, tenants cannot be evicted for overdue rent. Faust said the state has been helping those who apply for rental assistance but cannot get their landlords to sign off on it.

Money for this round of IHDA’s rental assistance program is provided by funds from the federal American Rescue Plan Act. Since the start of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, IHDA has administered $735 million in emergency rental assistance.

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More information about Illinois’ rental assistance programs can be found at illinoishousinghelp.org and illinoisrentalassistance.org. 

Contact Riley Eubanks: reubanks@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@rileyeubanks