01/11/2021
Stimulus bill includes rental assistance.
Who qualifies for rental assistance?
To be eligible for rental assistance, you need at least one person in your household who qualifies for unemployment benefits or has proof of income loss due to the pandemic. Similarly, if you can prove that your household incurred a substantial uptick in expenses due to the pandemic, you can qualify.
You'll also need to prove that you're at risk of becoming homeless in the absence of aid by providing copies of past due rent statements or notices from your landlord. Plus, your 2020 income can't exceed 80% of your area's median income to qualify. That said, states have been instructed to prioritize very low income applicants whose income is at 50% or less of a given area's median income, as well as those who have been jobless for 90 days or more. And unfortunately, a lot of people meet the latter criteria in today's economy.
How to apply for rental assistance
The application process for rental assistance will vary depending where you live, but states should have those funds available by Jan. 20. You can start the process by contacting your state's housing department or local helplines and seeing how to apply.