The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services is reminding residents of assistance available through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) that can help people who have been affected by COVID-19 and are facing eviction.

The assistance can be used to pay past due and upcoming rent or utility bills or other costs necessary to help them be safely housed.

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a final, one-month extension of the federal moratorium on evictions through July 31, 2021.

Pennsylvanians experiencing housing instability or at risk of eviction are strongly encouraged to not wait until the moratorium ends and to start their ERAP application now.

Households may be eligible for up to 18 months of assistance to cover past-due or future rental and/or utility payments.

The amount of a household's monthly rent or utility bills does not preclude eligibility, but the amount of ERAP assistance provided to a household is determined by program administrators at the county level.

Assistance can be provided to a tenant for future rental payments, and for unpaid rental or utility arrears that were accrued on or after March 13, 2020 on a residential rental property.

Counties may choose to provide additional assistance to eligible households if funds remain available.

Either tenants or landlords can apply for this assistance, but a tenant does not need a landlord's permission to apply and use this assistance.

This program is an opportunity to help ease circumstances for both parties, so landlords and tenants are strongly encouraged to work cooperatively to secure this stabilizing assistance.

To qualify for assistance, a household must be responsible to pay rent on a residential property and meet each of the following criteria:

One or more people within the household has qualified for unemployment benefits, had a decrease in income, had increased household costs, or experienced other financial hardship during or due directly or indirectly to the COVID-19 pandemic; AND
One or more individuals in the household can show a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability; AND
The household has an income at or below 80 percent of area median income, which varies by county. Income limits by county are available on the DHS website. Resources (like bank accounts and cars) are not relevant to ERAP eligibility.

Applicants will need to provide the following information: head of household's personal information; income information for all household members 18 and older; rental lease and amount owed; landlord's name and contact information. If applying for utility assistance, applicants must provide utility expenses and utility provider information.

For more information on ERAP, promotional materials, program data, and to learn how to apply, visit www.dhs.pa.gov/erap.