PROVIDENCE – A new, $200 million rental assistance program will be launched in Rhode Island this month for tenants and landlords who have been hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A new webpage and signup form, unveiled Tuesday by the R.I. Housing and Mortgage Finance Corp., popularly known as R.I. Housing, is an entry point to a $200 million program.
The funding comes from the $25 billion federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program. The new program in Rhode Island will be known as RentReliefRI, and it’s intended to help eligible state residents who are having trouble covering their rent or housing-based utilities.
Previous rental assistance programs, including HousingHelp RI and Safe Harbor, have either used all their funds or have closed, according to a news release. Renters who previously applied for rental assistance through those programs but who did not receive help due to lack of funding will be prioritized in the new program.
RentReliefRI will launch later in March. At that time, applicants can sign up online. Assistance to complete those applications will be available through a partnership of agencies. Interested tenants and landlords may sign up now to receive email alerts for when the program launches.
Program information, eligibility and sign-up for e-alerts is available at www.RentReliefRI.com.
The funding comes from a $25 billion U.S. Department of the Treasury program, which was created from the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.
Mary MacDonald is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at MacDonald@PBN.com.
Will this rental assistance program beginning in march only be available to the residents of RI?