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emergency rentAL assistance program

Lehigh County will be accepting ERAP Applications again starting June 1st, 2023, until the remaining funds are depleted. 

 

Applicants are only eligible to receive up to 12 months of rental assistance for arrears which is inclusive of any past ERAP assistance. 

 

There will be no future rental assistance provided. 

Prioritization will only be provided to households that satisfy the following: 
 

-Individual households that make below 50% of the annual median income  

or 

-One or more individuals within the household have been unemployed, as of the date of the application, for a 90-day period of time. 

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what does the program cover

 

RENT: Applicants are only eligible to receive up to 12 months of rental assistance for arrears which is inclusive of any past ERAP assistance. 

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UTILITIES: Assistance payments will be made for arrearages only (past due amounts), but can include electric, natural gas, water, sewer and trash.

qualifications

To qualify, you must:

  1. Be a resident of Lehigh County

  2. You must rent your home or apartment

  3. Demonstrate a financial impact occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic

*Must qualify for unemployment benefits OR experienced a reduction in income OR incurred significant living expenses related to COVID-19 OR experienced other financial hardship due directly or indirectly to COVID-19 that threatens the ability to pay the costs of the rental property or its tenant-paid utilities when due.​

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Household Income Limits for this Program:

1 Person - $50,750

2 Person - $58,000

3 Person - $65,250

4 Person - $72,500

5 Person - $78,300

6 Person - $84,100

7 Person - $89,900

8 Person - $95,700

Senior Man Working from Home
Modern Houses
what you need to apply

You must have the following items to complete the application:

  1. An email address to apply and to receive updates regarding your application.

  2. Contact information for your landlord: name, phone number and email address

  3. Income information to report your household income

  4. Most recent utility bills if seeking utility assistance

  5. Copy of identification (government issued Photo ID or Driver’s license, passport)

  6. Proof of Residence if different from ID

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Your LANDLORD will need to provide the following items:

  1. Lease

  2. Proof of ownership of property (deed, insurance, taxes, etc.)

  3. W-9

  4. ACH information for Direct Deposit

  5. Documentation of rent owed

helpful tips

  1. In setting up your account, select an email address that you check frequently so that you may receive status updates in a timely fashion.

  2. Write down your log-in information and keep it in a safe place.

  3. Be sure to gather all of your documentation (listed above) before starting the application.

  4. When uploading documents, review each to ensure it is clear and able to be viewed.

  5. Communicate with your landlord and utility companies that you are applying for this assistance.

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Calculating Budget
what happens after you apply?

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  • Your completed application will be reviewed by Community Action's team to ensure eligibility as well as a payment amount for assistance, if you qualify.

  • You will be notified by email once your application is processed, and whether your application has been approved for payment.

  • Your application may take several weeks to process.

  • You will not be able to check the status of your application by telephone. 

  • You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your account on the portal. 

Appeals

Appeal requests must be made in writing and forwarded to:

 

Lehigh County Department of Community and Economic Development

Attention:Heidi Miller

Grants Administrator

17 South 7th Street

Allentown, PA 18101

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