Emergency Rental Assistance
UPDATE (AUG. 8, 2023):
Richland County's Emergency Rental Assistance Program is no longer accepting or processing applications for rental or utility assistance.
Residents are encouraged to reach out to one of our trusted community partners, listed below, for assistance.
Community partners
Background
The U.S. Department of Treasury awarded Richland County Government $12.5 million to help local households unable to pay rent and utilities because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding was made available through ERA (ERAP), which was enacted in December 2020.
Through ERA2, a similar federal program enacted in March 2021, the County received another $9.9 million to continue supporting renters at risk of eviction.
Since that time, the County has received additional funding from reallocated ERA1 and ERA2 programs, which allowed for an expansion of services that rendered aid to more than 4,000 unique households. To date, the County has expended more than $40.8 million toward rental assistance/housing stability, utility assistance, and eviction prevention.
ERA1 expired Dec. 29, 2022, and will not be extended. As of July 2023, the U.S. Treasury Department is no longer reallocating ERA2 funds.
Additional links