Although the bulk of the damage caused by COVID-19 has passed, the lingering effects of it can still be felt by millions of people, especially when it comes to their finances. For those who lost their jobs, took on a lot of debt, or had their small business operations disrupted, keeping up with all the bills can be a real challenge.

In particular, rent is a major concern for many, especially for people living in expensive, large cities.

While the nationally mandated eviction moratorium has officially been lifted, leaving a large number of people in trouble, there are still quite a few programs available which help with rental assistance.
 

State And Local Programs

Many municipalities, states, and tribal governments have provisions for helping people who may be struggling with paying their rent.

These rental assistance programs vary considerably from place to place, but, generally speaking, almost every state has some sort of assistance available to people who are at risk for eviction.

Local and tribal governments tend to have much less assistance available than larger governmental bodies, or at least it's less consistent. This can be attributed to the fact that local entities have extremely variable resource pools to pick from, so how much assistance is provided will be much different from place to place.

Larger municipalities, like cities such as New York, typically have rental assistance programs that can even rival state programs, whereas more rural areas might have limited assistance or no programs whatsoever.

The only way you can determine for sure whether you qualify for rental assistance on a state or local level is to check your state or local government's official website and search for a resource section that will tell you about available programs. Alternatively, you might be able to call up a government office to see whether they can give you any information, although this can potentially get confusing, especially when dealing with state-level entities.
 

Federal Assistance Programs

Rental assistance programs on a federal level tend to be much more standardized and comprehensive than those on a more local level. While federal ERAs (emergency rental assistance programs) have been in service for quite a long time, they've received additional billions in funding over COVID-19 concerns. So, while you might not qualify under normal circumstances, there's a much greater chance you will be given newer, emergency guidelines.

Unlike purely local programs, federal programs typically have options for both renters and landlords who are struggling to meet expenses. Rental assistance not only includes just the cost of rent, but other bills related to habitation, such as late fees, heating, electricity, and water treatment.

Additionally, this assistance applies not only to future bills, but can compensate for financial issues encountered since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. It also applies to emergency housing in the form of motel or hotel costs, if you end up having to abandon your primary residence at some point.

Eligibility for assistance is quite broad, so if you are experiencing financial issues of some kind, you're likely to qualify. If you meet the criteria for unemployment payments, have a low enough income, experienced a pandemic-related surge in bills, or experienced income loss recently, you'll likely meet the standards for rental assistance.

In most instances, you'll need to provide proof of your income and also sign a sworn statement that states all the information you have provided is truthful.

Federal ERAs often work alongside local governments to provide people with housing assistance, so similar to local programs, your mileage may vary. Qualifications for assistance are almost always standardized, but what exactly is covered will depend heavily on what local programs are willing to provide.

These differences can largely be attributed to variations in living conditions for people in different municipalities. For instance, people who live on houseboats are eligible for assistance with mooring fees in counties near bodies of water, but this eligibility realistically won't exist for people living in states such as Utah.
 

Getting The Assistance You Need

The COVID-19 pandemic threw pretty much everyone for a loop and while numerous people did get through it largely unscathed, that's not the case for lots of individuals and families.

If you're struggling to get all your bills paid, are at risk for eviction, or are otherwise housing insecure, then there are a litany of programs at your disposal that can help you out.