The Chicago Department of Family and Support Services this week announced that residents can apply online for the Rental Assistance Program at Chicago.gov/fss/RAP through midnight Dec. 27.
Paper applications are also available and will be accepted at any of the city’s six community service centers, including two West Side locations: Garfield Community Service Center at 10 S. Kedzie Ave. (312-746-5400) and Trina Davila Community Service Center at 4312 W. North Ave. (312-744-2014).
To qualify for assistance, residents must live in a rental unit, meet eligibility requirements and have experienced a documented crisis or emergency within the last 90 days, such as:
- temporary loss of income
- fire or flood
- court order to vacate (foreclosure or eviction)
- domestic violence
Assistance includes payment of future rent or rent arrears and security deposits in cases of fire, flood, foreclosure, domestic violence or eviction. In addition, the property owner or manager must agree to participate in the household’s eligibility verification.
Funded federally through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the CARES Act, DFSS has administered $7.5 million in rental assistance to eligible households in Chicago since August 2020.
Residents can access homeless services by calling 3-1-1 or going online at Chicago.gov/homeless. The Human Services Division works with residents at risk of homelessness at Chicago’s six community service centers to complete and process rental assistance applications for payment.