Emergency Rental Assistance

The American Rescue Plan (ARP) provides an additional $21.6 billion for an Emergency Rental Assistance program to help renters pay their rent and utility bills during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eligible tenants must:

• Have a valid rental agreement in their name
• Household’s total gross income cannot exceed 80% Area Median Income for location
• The household has experienced a loss of income due to COVID-19, such as unemployment, reduced working hours, inability to find childcare during the pandemic, or loss of spousal/child support.

On May 19, 2021, the U.S. Department of the Treasury released a new tool to connect renters with Emergency Rental Assistance programs through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. The tool comes in the form of an index, which can be found here, of websites associated with grantees’ rental assistance programs to help tenants and landlords find programs in their areas.

Funds are being disbursed at the local level, and Alabamians can find out more about the availability and application process at Emergency Rental Assistance Alabama.

Note that after March 31, Alabama’s largest counties will be providing a separate application process for their residents. These communities include Baldwin, Madison, Mobile, Montgomery, Tuscaloosa, and Jefferson Counties, and the cities of Huntsville and Birmingham. We will update information about those application processes in Alabama’s 7th Congressional District as more information becomes available.