More than $1 billion in emergency rental assistance disbursed to renters and landlords in Illinois

CHICAGO – The Illinois Housing Development Authority announced that with the closure of the second round of the Illinois Rental Payment Program, nearly $1.02 billion in emergency rental assistance provided by Congress to the state of Illinois has been distributed to 137,372 households since 2020. Assistance for those facing immediate eviction is still available through the Illinois Court-Based Rental Assistance Program. Many households have experienced serious health and economic impacts brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic including unemployment, lost income due to children or elders needing care at home, unexpected medical bills, and more. These financial burdens forced many Illinois households to prioritize their spending to survive, leaving many unable to pay their full monthly housing costs.
“Since day one of my administration, I’ve made it clear that housing is not a privilege —it’s a right,” said Governor JB Pritzker.
Building on the successful administration of the 2020 Emergency Rental Assistance Program and the Illinois Rental Payment Program Round 1, IHDA continued to develop and implement key changes to make ILRPP2 more accessible, efficient, and impactful. The ILRPP2 program provided up to $25,000 in emergency rental assistance to cover up to 15 months of past due rent and up to three months of future rent payments for tenants suffering a financial hardship related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Grant payments were made directly to the landlord on behalf of the tenant if the landlord agreed to forgo eviction.
IHDA received 64,442 ILRPP2 applications from renters and landlords in 97 of Illinois’ 102 counties. After reviewing every application to ensure they meet state and federal requirements, IHDA approved 27,279 applications and paid out $204 million on behalf of renters experiencing pandemic-related hardships. The ILRPP2 program provided an average of $7,462 per household to cover seven months of rent. Of the nearly $204 million allocated through ILRPP2, 71 percent (or $145 million) went to rental arrears and the remaining 29 percent ($59 million) was applied to future rent payments.
Further aiming to reduce evictions in Illinois, the Court-Based Rental Assistance Program, now administered by IHDA, is available to assist tenants outside of Cook County with active cases in eviction court. Tenants may apply for up to 15 months of past due rent and up to three months of future rent payments using their eviction court case number. For program information, please visit www.illinoishousinghelp.org/cbrap.