Lake County Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERA-2 Program)

The U.S. Department of the Treasury has provided Lake County with funds to assist eligible households that are unable to pay rent, deposit, or utilities due to the COVID-19 Pandemic hardships. General information about this Federal program can be found here: Emergency Rental Assistance Program | U.S. Department of the Treasury

To apply for rental assistance, please review the program eligibility criteria and click on the link provided at the bottom of this page.

Eligibility

1.     Applicants must live in Lake County and the leased premises must be the Applicant's primary     residence.

2.    Applicant must be obligated to pay rent. A written lease with terms and conditions is required. The lease must be signed by the tenant and landlord. The minimum terms to be included: landlord name and address, tenant name, leased property address, start date, end date, amount of rent, frequency of payment (monthly, weekly, etc.), clause related to non-compliance with lease terms (example: termination/eviction clause), where/how rent is to be paid and to whom. Other allowable fees must be clearly identified in the lease agreement to be eligible.

3.    Applicant’s rent must be past due and past due rent must be the result of:

• One or more individuals in the household have qualified for unemployment benefits or have experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced other financial hardship during or due, directly, or indirectly to the coronavirus outbreak; and 
• One or more individuals in the household can demonstrate a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability or loss of income due to COVID-19

4.     Applicant must demonstrate that the household is at risk of becoming homeless or experiencing housing instability by providing a Lake County Rental Ledger showing the Applicant's housing costs are past due. This form must be signed and dated by the landlord. Click here to access the Lake County Ledger Form. Persons with disabilities needing assistance with this form should contact (352)742-6539; if you are hearing or voice impaired, please contact 711 or (352)253-1840.

5.     Total household income for the calendar year 2021 must be at or below 80% of the area median income for Lake County. Total household income for 2021 will be determined by adding together the adjusted gross income (IRS Form 1040 line 11) for each household member that received income in the calendar year 2021. Please refer to the chart below for income limits by household size:  

80% 2021 Income Limits                                

Household Size     Qualifying Income

1                               < $42,750

2                              < $48,850

3                              < $54,950

4                               < $61,050

5                              < $65,950

6                              < $70,850

7                               < $75,750

8                              < $80,600

Restrictions

• Landlords may not live in the same unit as tenant(s).
• No verbal leases allowed.
• Roommates may apply but are assessed as a total household and income tax returns (IRS Form 1040) will be required for all members of the household that received income in the calendar year 2021.

Required Documentation/Information

• Written lease with terms and conditions signed by landlord and tenant. The minimum terms to be included: landlord name and address, tenant name, leased property address, start date, end date, amount of rent, frequency of payment (monthly, weekly, etc.), clause related to non-compliance with lease terms (example: termination/eviction clause), where/how rent is to be paid and to whom. Other allowable fees must be clearly identified in the lease agreement to be eligible.
• Landlord’s mailing address, phone number and email address.
• For each adult in the household:

               - Government-issued ID AND

               - Official piece of mail that connects the household member to the leased property AND       

               - A completed 2021 Tax Return (Form 1040) for each adult household member that      received income in calendar year 2021 (if married filing jointly, only one copy of the return is necessary; however, both adults must be on the joint return. Paper/mailed tax returns must be signed. For e-filing applications, the applicant will need to include a Form 8879 or confirmation page from the tax preparation and filing software/organization.

              - If no 2021 Tax Return was filed but you had Social Security income for the year 2021, a Social Security Award letter is required.

• For each minor child in the household, documentation that connects the child to the household (must show the child's name and the household address on the document). Some examples are: 

               - Child listed on tax return

               - Mail in the child's name

               - DCF benefit statement (SNAP, Medicaid, etc.)

               - Medical record

               - Official school record that shows minor child’s name and the leased property address

• Lake County Rental Ledger Form showing charges, payments, and balances due by month. This form must be signed and dated by the landlord.
• Gender, race and ethnicity for the Primary Applicant. This information will be collected for reporting purposes only. This information is required by the Federal grantor and will not be used in the decision-making process.

Prioritization

This is not a first-come, first-serve program. The processing of an application may be delayed if it does not not qualify for at least one of the priority groups below. The Federal government requires applications be prioritized as follows:

• Households with total household income at or below 50% of the area median income for Lake County. Please refer to the chart below for income limits by household size: 

          50% 2021 Income Limits

          Household Size    Qualifying Income

• 1                              < $26,750
• 2                             < $30,550
• 3                             < $34,350
• 4                             < $38,150
• 5                             < $41,250
• 6                             < $44,300
• 7                             < $47,350
• 8                            < $50,400
• Households in which one or more individuals are unemployed as of the application date and  have not been employed for the 90-day period preceding the application date. 

Award

The maximum award for rental assistance per household is $15,000.

• Qualified households are eligible to receive up to 15 months of past due rent plus the current month's rent. An additional two months of prospective rent (prepaid rent) will be provided to all eligible applicants when the ERA-2 application is submitted.
• Qualified households are eligible to receive past due utility assistance and rental deposit charges. Applicants are only eligible to receive benefits for costs incurred after the household's COVID-19 financial hardship date. For example: If a household member was unemployed in December and the household's rent is past due since May, the applicant will only be eligible to receive assistance with past due rent incurred in December and thereafter (past due rent for the months of May to November will be ineligible).

Frequently Asked Questions

Please click here to view answers to our FAQ page.