Facing eviction? IndyRent is reopening applications for $6.7M in rental assistance
IndyRent, Indianapolis’ rental assistance program, will reopen to applications on April 27 after the city paused it in November to reassess the program and make it more sustainable.
A total of $6.7 million, from federal COVID-19 emergency rental assistance funds, will be available for rental assistance during this round.
The program will continue to focus on eviction prevention and applicants must have an active eviction filing against them to be eligible, a requirement implemented in July last year. Recipients cannot make more than 80% of the area median income, which is about $65,700 for a three-person household.
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Unlike before, households that are on fixed income, usually older adults whose entire income comes from social security benefits or pensions, are now eligible to apply for IndyRent if they're facing eviction.
This move marks a pivot in IndyRent from being an emergency rental assistance response to the COVID-19 pandemic to being a permanent fixture, James Taylor, CEO of the John Boner Neighborhood Centers, said. The Centers help administer IndyRent.
The biggest change to the program is that the online application process on IndyRent.org has been made shorter and more user-friendly, the mayor's senior policy advisor Jeff Bennett, who leads the program, said.
All tenants will need to submit a new application if they wish to receive aid even if they received rental assistance in the past.
Tenants will be eligible for up to six months of assistance in this round but can receive no more than 12 months assistance since April 2021.
Landlords can pre-register their properties on IndyRent, which Bennett said could speed up the distribution of funds if a tenant qualifies.
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The goal is to get rental assistance out within 30 days of receiving the application, Bennett said.
The city anticipates that the last of its federal CARES Act funding for emergency rental assistance will run out by the end of 2023, at which point they plan to find a new funding source to continue the program.
The city is exploring ways to fund the program beyond 2023, including collaborating with Washington, D.C lawmakers to create a permanent federal source of funds, Bennett said, as well as seeking out local funding and philanthropic funding.
Contact IndyStar reporter Ko Lyn Cheang at kcheang@indystar.com or 317-903-7071. Follow her on Twitter: @kolyn_cheang.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IndyRent restarts with $6.7M in rental aid money
