The New York State Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) will provide significant economic relief to help low and moderate-income households at risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability by providing rental arrears, temporary rental assistance and utility arrears assistance.

Eligibility

Federally Funded Emergency Rental Assistance Program

New York State ERAP applications will not be accepted after January 20, 2023 at 9:00 PM. Applications submitted before the application portal closes on January 20, 2023 will continue to be processed in the order received, consistent with State law and program rules. After the portal closes tenants and landlords may continue to upload required documentation for pending applications already submitted.

The 2022 – 2023 New York State Budget included funds to support ERAP. As a result of the additional funding New York State is actively reviewing and processing eligible ERAP applications submitted through January 20, 2023.

**This notification will be updated if additional funding is available to pay eligible applications submitted after January 20, 2023.

Rockland County residents are eligible for Federally Funded ERAP if they meet all of the following criteria:

• Household gross income is at or below 80 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI). A household may qualify based on current income or calendar year 2020 income that is at or below 80 percent AMI. Here are Rockland County's current income limits for the program by household size:

• On or after March 13, 2020, a member of the household received unemployment benefits or experienced a reduction in income, incurred significant costs or experienced financial hardship, directly or indirectly, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The applicant is obligated to pay rent at their primary residence and has rental arrears (rent overdue) at their current residence for rent owed on or after March 13, 2020.
• The household must be at risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability, which can be demonstrated by having rental arrears owed on or after March 13, 2020.
  
  

State Funded Emergency Rental Assistance Program

There are no immigration status requirements to qualify for the program.

Households eligible for rental arrears may also be eligible for help paying utility arrears at the same rental unit.

Benefits

Households approved for ERAP may receive: 

• Up to 12 months of rental arrears payments for rents accrued on or after March 13, 2020.
• Up to 3 months of additional rental assistance if the household is expected to spend 30 percent or more of their gross monthly income to pay for rent.
• Up to 12 months of electric or gas utility arrears payments for arrears that have accrued on or after March 13, 2020.

Payments will be made directly to the landlord/property owner and utility company on behalf of the tenant. Tenant applicants will be notified of the amounts paid on their behalf. If a landlord is difficult to locate or does not otherwise provide information needed to complete the application, funds will be held for up to 180 days to allow sufficient time to locate the landlord and collect required information as well as to provide tenant protections and maximize landlord participation.

Here is a list of Frequently Asked Questions
(https://otda.ny.gov/programs/emergency-rental-assistance/)

How To Apply

Applications can be submitted by tenants or landlords starting 6/1/2021 through a link on New York State's ERAP webpage https://otda.ny.gov/ERAP. New applications will no longer be accepted after 1/20/2023.

If you require assistance in applying please contact the Rockland County Department of Social Services Emergency Rental Assistance Unit by email ERAProgram@dfa.state.ny.us or by phone (845) 364-3014. We will also be at various outreach sites in communities throughout Rockland County to help assist tenants and landlords apply for this program. 

How To Appeal A Decision

If you disagree with any part of the decision made on your Emergency Rental Assistance Program application you can file an Appeal. Click here for more information about How To File An Appeal.

Emergency Rental Assistance Program Outreach 

These are the dates and times that the Department of Social Services can offer Emergency Rental Assistance Program application assistance to you. Please remember to bring your documents with you and we can upload these documents to your application. Click here for a list of TENANT DOCUMENTS and LANDLORD DOCUMENTS that would be needed to be submitted with your application. 

Reasonable Accommodations

Reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities are available. Please tell us if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for ERAP. Examples of available reasonable accommodations include assistance applying for ERAP, providing documents in an alternative format including braille, audio file (CD), data format (screen-reader accessible file on CD) and large print (18 point font) as requested, or TTY relay communications.

To request a reasonable accommodation, please contact the call center at 1-844-NY1-RENT (1-844-691-7368). If you are hearing impaired, a TTY phone number is available by calling 1-833-843-8829.

Low Income Household Water Assistance Program

Overview

The Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) can help pay overdue water and wastewater bills. Applications can be submitted online or by mail beginning December 1.

On October 1, 2022, a new program year began and households may be eligible for additional assistance even if they have already received a LIHWAP benefit in the past.

LIHWAP is a drinking water and wastewater emergency assistance program funded with $69.8 million through the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 and the American Rescue Plan of 2021. Benefits are based on the amount of unpaid water and wastewater bills owed by applicants and could go as high as $2,500 for each service. This assistance is targeted at low-income households, particularly those who pay a high proportion of their income for drinking water and wastewater services, and income guidelines will mirror that of the Home Energy Assistance Program. The 2022 – 2023 LIHWAP Monthly Income Limits are:

Benefits

LIHWAP benefits are based on the actual amount of drinking water and/or wastewater arrears, up to a maximum of $2,500 per drinking water or wastewater provider, or $5,000 if drinking water and wastewater services are combined, per household. Benefits are paid directly to the household's drinking water and/or wastewater vendor(s).

Eligibility

Eligibility and benefits are based on:

• income,
• household size,
• household includes a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or qualified alien, and
• amount owed to drinking water and/or wastewater provider(s).

Applicants must include the following documentation along with their application:

• Proof of identity for the primary applicant.
• A valid Social Security Number for the primary applicant.
• Proof of residence.
• A drinking water, wastewater, or combined drinking water and wastewater bill listing your permanent and primary residence.
• Documentation of income for the primary applicant.

A list of documents that are needed to apply can be found here: LIHWAP Document Checklist

For more information and to apply, visit https://otda.ny.gov/LIHWAP. Online applications can be submitted 24 hours/day, 7 days/week or you can apply by printing a LIHWAP Application and mail or fax it to: 

NYS LIHWAP
PO Box 1789
Albany, NY 12201
Fax: (518) 486-1259

Landlord Rental Assistance Program

The New York State Landlord Rental Assistance Program (LRAP) will provide economic relief to help landlords by providing rental arrears assistance for landlords whose tenants have left their rental property or who are unwilling to apply for ERAP.

THOUGH FUNDS FOR LRAP ARE FULLY COMMITTED AND ALL APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED MAY NOT BE FUNDED, NEW YORK STATE WILL CONTINUE TO ACCEPT LRAP APPLICATIONS THROUGH NOVEMBER 20, 2021, AS ESTABLISHED BY LAW.

Eligibility

Landlords who rent out unit(s) located in New York State are eligible for LRAP if they meet the following criteria:

• The landlord has a tenant who has left an apartment in New York State with unpaid rental arrears or the landlord has a tenant with rental arrears who is residing in an apartment in New York State who refuses to apply for ERAP and the landlord has reached out to their tenant to encourage participation in ERAP at least 3 times, including 2 in writing.
• Unit rental amount is at or below 150 percent of the Fair Market rent (FMR) for their location. These limits are based on county and number of bedrooms of the rental unit. If the monthly rental amount exceeds 150 percent of the FMR, the landlord will be ineligible for assistance. The 150 percent FMR levels for Rockland County are below:

• The landlord has documented rental arrears owed for the tenant at their residence for rent costs accrued on or after March 1, 2020.

Citizenship or immigration status are not eligibility requirements;

Neither a tenant's nor a landlord's income will be factored in when determining LRAP eligibility;

LRAP is solely for residential units.

Benefits

Landlords approved for LRAP may receive up to 12 months of rental arrears payments for rents accrued on or after March 1, 2020.
Of note, LRAP will not pay for future rental assistance or utility arrears.

Here is a list of LRAP Frequently Asked Questions.

How To Apply

Information about the Landlord Rental Assistance Program along with the link to apply can be found here: https://otda.ny.gov/LRAP.

If you require assistance in applying please contact the Rockland County Department of Social Services Emergency Rental Assistance Unit by email ERAProgram@dfa.state.ny.us or by phone (845) 364-3316.

Useful Links for the Landlord Rental Assistance Program

View Instructions for Owners

See list of required documents

Landlord Rental Assistance Program Outreach

These are the dates and times that the Department of Social Services can offer Landlord Rental Assistance Program application assistance to you. Please remember to bring your documents with you and we can upload these documents to your application.