States to Pay More Than $1 Billion in Rental Aid in July

Pace of Relief, Number of Renters Served Continue Exponential Increase

WASHINGTON, DC — State programs expect to pay more than 200,000 renters more than $1 billion in assistance to cover back rent and utilities and avoid evictions and homelessness in July, according to projections by the National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA).

NCSHA projects state programs will continue to increase this pace through the summer, based on data provided by state agencies administering federal emergency rental assistance funds.

“While some state programs opened sooner than others, and some are processing payments more quickly than others, every state has emergency assistance available for renters and landlords,” said NCSHA Executive Director Stockton Williams.

State programs provided approximately $880 million to more than 130,000 renters by late June, according to data from state program administrators.

The number of households served and dollars paid to renters, landlords, and utility companies by state emergency rental assistance programs have increased exponentially in recent months.

• In April, the number of renter households served and dollars paid were nearly double those amounts from January through March.
• In May, states nearly doubled their April spending and number of households served.
• Through late June, states more than doubled their May spending.

Based on projections by state officials, this trend will continue throughout the summer, now that the program infrastructure has been built and revised federal policies have been issued.

“Many state programs have revised their rules to make funds more accessible in response to changes in federal guidance and recommendations from renter advocates and landlords,” Williams said. “State programs will continue to evolve and improve based on experience on the ground and continued input from program partners.”

Hundreds of locally-run programs, accounting for roughly one-third of federal emergency rental assistance funding appropriated by Congress, are not included in NCSHA’s analysis — meaning significantly more rental aid has reached renters in need than available data show.

In addition to paying back rent and utilities, state and local emergency rental assistance programs are supporting eviction prevention and eviction diversion programs; mediation between landlords and tenants; housing counseling; specialized services for individuals with disabilities and seniors; and other services to ensure renters remain stably housed as vaccination rates increase and the economy improves.

About the National Council of State Housing Agencies
For more than 50 years, state Housing Finance Agencies (HFAs) have played a central role in the nation’s affordable housing system, delivering financing to make possible the purchase, development, and rehabilitation of affordable homes and rental apartments for low- and middle-income households.

The National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization created to advance, through advocacy and education, the efforts of the nation’s state HFAs and their partners to provide affordable housing to those who need it. NCSHA’s vision: An affordably housed nation. Learn more at www.ncsha.org.

For more information, contact Lisa Bowman, Director of Marketing and Communications.