After more than three years of providing rent and utilities assistance to renters impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Doña Ana County Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) will close on December 31, 2024, and no longer accept new applications.
Source: Doña Ana County
All qualified applications received before this deadline will be processed and paid out.
In early 2021, Doña Ana County received $34 million dollars as a grant to cover rent and utility payments as part of a national effort to help renters facing financial hardships brought on by the pandemic. The grant total also includes funds to pay for the administration of the program by ERAP employees.
So far, the County’s ERAP program, funded through the U.S. Department of the Treasury, has distributed almost $28 million dollars to help with rent and utilities for 2500 households following a difficult financial time where pay was reduced, layoffs occurred, and many businesses closed.
To qualify, residents are required to show how the pandemic impacted their loss of income. As we move further away from the pandemic, the ERAP office has seen a decline in applications. At the conclusion of the program, the County will seek to reallocate any remaining funds to support housing stability through other community partners, as is allowed by the grant.
“Doña Ana County’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program has been a lifeline for many during the pandemic,” Board Chair Christopher Schaljo-Hernandez said. “We are proud to have played a role in assisting our residents, ensuring that families and individuals could remain safely housed during a period that was scary and uncertain for us all.”
Doña Ana County expresses gratitude to all partners, community organizations, and staff who contributed to the success of ERAP, as well as to the U.S. Department of the Treasury for the funding that made this program possible.
