On February 17, 2021, the Iowa Finance Authority announced the availability of an eligibility precheck for the new Iowa Rent and Utility Assistance Program, which will begin accepting full applications in March. The program will provide financial assistance to eligible COVID-19 impacted Iowans for rent and utility costs for a period of up to 12 months.
Renters in need of assistance are encouraged to take the new Iowa Rent and Utility Assistance program's eligibility precheck to determine if they meet the initial eligibility criteria, and if eligible, to sign-up to receive notification when the full application is available, which is currently anticipated to be sometime in March.
This program is funded through $195 million that was provided through the Federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program which was enacted by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 and passed by Congress in late 2020.
ELIGIBILITY
General eligibility requirements require that applicants: Be current renters earning no more than 80 percent of their county’s area median income; have experienced a documented financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; can demonstrate a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability which may include a past due utility or rent notice or eviction notice.
ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE
Assistance to be available through the program includes:
- Rent assistance for past due and future payments.
- Utility Payments owed at time of application (no future payments).
Eligible past due rent and utility payments may date back to costs incurred no earlier than March 13, 2020. Future rent payments may be awarded for up to three months at a time and additional requests will require a subsequent application. Eligible renters may receive a total of up to 12 months of combined rent and utility assistance through the program.
Polk County and the City of Des Moines will be administering the program locally. Therefore, Iowans residing in either Polk County or the City of Des Moines will be ineligible to apply for the Iowa Rent and Utility Assistance Program. More information on the program that may assist Polk County and City of Des Moines residents will be available at www.impactcap.org.
Additional program details and the eligibility precheck are available at IowaHousingRecovery.com.
Landlords, service agencies, utility providers, and other organizations are encouraged to share program information with Iowans in need of assistance and encourage them to take the eligibility precheck to see if they may be eligible.