Aurora Tenants Can Apply For $5K Grant To Pay Rent Amid Pandemic

AURORA, IL — Renters in Aurora can apply for a $5,000 grant to help cover their housing costs during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Illinois Housing Development Authority is accepting applications through Aug. 28 for its emergency relief program for renters, though officials said the window could close sooner if the agency is inundated with applications.

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The IHDA’s $150 million Emergency Rental Assistance program is expected to help about 30,000 renters across the state. To be eligible for a grant from the program, renters must have an unpaid rent balance that started after March 1, according to the IHDA.

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Renters, or an adult member of their households, also must have lost income due to the coronavirus pandemic — whether they lost their jobs or had their hours reduced — and earn less than the maximum amount allowed for their area.

Renters can apply for emergency assistance if their income before the coronavirus pandemic was less than 80 percent of the median income of a four-person household in their area, as calculated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

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According to HUD data, the median income for a four-person household in the Chicago-Joliet-Naperville metro area — which includes Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties — is $91,000.

That means Aurora renters who earned less than $72,800 qualify for emergency rental assistance from the IHDA, if they meet the program’s other criteria.

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Renters’ landlords must be willing to participate in the Emergency Rental Assistance Program for their grant applications to be considered.

The IHDA will send $5,000 checks to the landlords of renters whose applications are approved. That money will be used to pay off any rent-related debts, with any remaining money to be put toward future rent payments in 2020, officials have said.

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Renters in Aurora can get help with their applications from The Neighbor Project, which is one of 62 community and outreach assistance organizations chosen by Illinois officials to help applicants through the process.

The Neighbor Project, located at 32 S. Broadway, can be reached by calling (630) 906-9400.

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