Update: The Department of Human Services has closed applications for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program for this quarter after meeting its capacity in less than one day.

The ERAP portal experienced technical difficulties when it opened Tuesday afternoon, but nevertheless received at least 3,500 applications in just a few hours.

DHS will reopen the portal to applicants on April 1.

Original:

After reconfiguring its administration of the highly-in-demand Emergency Rental Assistance Program, D.C.’s Department of Human Services will open applications for the funds on Tuesday. Jan. 2 at noon.

ERAP helps defray housing costs for low-income D.C. residents who are at risk of eviction or behind on rent and can also provide funding to help renters move into new apartments. Eligible residents must make less than 40% of the area’s median income, which is just under $40,000 for a single household.

The program has surged in demand amid a troubling cocktail of economic conditions for renters: While housing costs have spiked in recent years, pandemic-era renter protections like the eviction moratorium and federally-funded emergency rental assistance have sunsetted. One recent study shows that as many as 44,000 D.C. households spend at least half of their income on rent. In March of 2023, DHS closed its application early when ERAP ran through its $43 million budget months before the end of the fiscal year. By the time ERAP began accepting new applications again in October, its portal remained open only ten days before closing again due to the volume of submissions.

The D.C. Council and Mayor Muriel Bowser have since tangled over how much money to appropriate to the program.

Instead of opening once at the start of the new fiscal year, ERAP will now open applications at the start of each quarter — in October, January, April, and July — and close when the agency receives 3,500 applications per quarter, per new guidance on the program’s website. DHS data released last November shows that more than 3,500 people applied for funds in just a few weeks after the program reopened in early October.

D.C.’s Office of the Tenant Advocate is encouraging those interested in applying for ERAP funds to do so “as soon as possible.” Eligible residents can apply online.