Indiana Will Soon Launch New Rental Assistance Program With Federal Money

Indiana announced Wednesday it will soon open up a new emergency rental assistance program for Hoosiers in need.

The program is made possible through $448 million sent to the state via the latest federal COVID-19 relief package.

Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority Director Jacob Sipe said the new COVID rental assistance is different from the ones that have come before it.

“The eligible households can receive up to 12 months of rental assistance and utility/home energy assistance," Sipe said. "This includes a combination of past due rent and future months’ rent.”

Eligible households are ones in which at least one person qualifies for unemployment or had income loss during the pandemic. Eligibility could also include those who’ve incurred significant costs or experienced a financial hardship over the last year.

The household income must also be no more than 80 percent of the area median income – for a family of four, that’s about $58,000.

Sipe said the state is waiting on necessary federal guidance to open the program. He encourages people to sign up for updates at IndianaHousingNow.org.