Illinois Rental Payment Program
The Illinois Rental Payment Program (ILRPP) will provide direct funding to support Illinois tenants unable to pay their rent due to a COVID-19-related loss of income. Approved applicants will receive one-time grants of up to $25,000 paid directly to their landlords to cover missed rent payments as far back as June 2020 and prepay payments through August 2021, or until the $25,000 is exhausted, whichever comes first.
The tenant-led application period for the Illinois Rental Payment Program is now open!
You may start your application at https://ilrpp.ihda.org. Tenants have until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, July 18 to complete their portion of the application. Tenants will also be provided a pathway to complete their application should they have unresponsive landlords.
- You may reach the call center at 866-454-3571 or via email at Questions.ILRPP@ihda.org.
- The Call Center will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. 7 days a week.
To apply, please visit the application site at ILRPP.IHDA.org.
To learn more, please visit https://www.ihda.org/about-ihda/illinois-rental-payment-program/
Eligibility Requirements
In order to receive financial assistance through ILRPP, tenants must meet all of the following:
- Household is behind on their rent for at least 30 days
- Household lives in Illinois and rents their home as their primary residence
- Household’s total gross income cannot exceed 80% Area Median Income for location
- Household must have experienced a financial hardship directly — or indirectly — due to the pandemic, for example:
- Being laid off
- Place of employment has closed
- Reduction in hours of work
- Loss of spousal/child support
- Inability to find work due to COVID-19
- Having to stay home with children due to closure of daycare/school
- Unable to participate in previous employment due to the workplace’s high risk of severe illness from COVID-19
- At risk of homelessness or housing instability
- Documentation Requirements
Housing Providers:
- Evidence of past-due rent
- Copy of 2019 Property Tax Bill or 2021 monthly mortgage statement
- Grant payment information for check distribution
- Current signed lease (if available)
- SSN or ITIN
- Employer Identification Number (if payment is made to a business entity)
- Rental unit information (unit type, address, rent amount)
- Fully executed and current property management agreement (if payment is made to a property manager)
- Valid email address
Tenants:
- Government-issued photo ID
- A utility bill or proof of address (if the address on your ID is not your current address)
- Monthly rent and amount past-due
- Proof of household income in 2020
- Proof of public assistance (if applicable)
- Valid email address
- Proof of immigration status (or social security number) is not required
Utilities Assistance and Shutoff Avoidance Programs
To assist low-income families impacted by the COVID-19 crisis the Help Illinois Families program was announced in 2020. The program is aimed at providing emergency relief on household costs through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) programs. To date, more than 260,000 households have received $280 million in benefits through the CSBG and LIHEAP programs, which includes the Utility Disconnection Avoidance Program (UDAP) funds directly credited to customer accounts in threat of imminent disconnection. There is $30 million in LIHEAP funding still available for new clients through the end of the current program year which ends May 31, 2021. A new program year will begin September 1, 2021, and residents qualifying for LIHEAP will have access to additional funds provided to the state through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
More information on how to apply for Help Illinois Families can be found on HelpIllinoisFamilies.com.
Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and Community Services Block Grant Program (CSBG) Application Agencies:
Cook County (Chicago)
Cook County (Suburbs)
Lake County