Emergency Rental Assistance Program Funding Update

December 19, 2022

The NH Emergency Rental Assistance Program (NHERAP) paused accepting applications on October 21 due to the level of federal funding available to continue the program. At this time, new applications still are not being accepted to the program pending approval of the state’s requests to U.S. Treasury for additional funding. Support services are available through the five Community Action Partnership (CAP) agencies, and applications in the pipeline continue to be reviewed and funded, pending eligibility and availability of funds.

On December 7, the state Executive Council approved up to $20 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) State Fiscal Recovery Funds for households temporarily staying in hotels or motels as part of NHERAP. The Emergency Temporary Housing (ETH) program will support households already in hotels or motels as part of NHERAP, as well as NHERAP-eligible households needing temporary housing who submitted their application prior to the pause. ETH will help households at risk of homelessness and without alternative housing be stably housed through winter. ETH will also provide additional time for these households to find and access more permanent housing solutions. The program will encourage hotels and motels to continue to take in or retain households without children through April 1, 2023, and households with children under 18 through June 15, 2023.

Participating households staying in hotels will be required to search for permanent housing. The Community Action Partnership (CAP) Agencies have housing stability specialists currently working with households and connecting them to other services and supports. Assistance with security deposits, first month’s rent, and other related housing expenses will be available to households moving from hotels to permanent housing.

States and localities across the country have been funding emergency rental assistance since 2021 with resources provided by the U.S. Treasury under the Emergency Rental Assistance Program. This COVID-19 relief program has kept people housed who have been impacted economically by the pandemic. Without additional reallocated funds or further Congressional authorization, those states and localities no longer have resources available to fully fund the program.

NH Housing and the CAP agencies around the state have been administering NHERAP since March 2021 and provided over $270 million in assistance to over 25,000 households in all 10 counties. For updates about the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, go to the program page.

For those who are homeless or at risk for homelessness, please contact 2-1-1. For assistance with an eviction, contact 603 Legal Aid, which provides free civil legal services to low-income people at (603) 224-3333.