rental assistance

A county judge is ordering the state to reopen a federal rental assistance program that it abruptly shut down in March.

The federal funds that fueled Indy Rents for more than two years are gone. Tens of thousands of households benefited from the program that was set up when the pandemic first hit.

Indiana housing advocates, national groups, eye permanent federal rental assistance to help with ongoing housing crisis.

Through Indy Rent, more than $100 million in rental assistance has gone out to tens of thousands of households.

An estimated 93,000 Hoosier households are behind on their rent, yet less than 20 percent of them have received emergency rental assistance through state and local programs.

With the end of the CDC eviction moratorium, thousands of eviction cases can now start moving through state courts.

Since the start of the pandemic, an estimated 57,000 evictions have been filed across Indiana -- many of which are still pending.

To date nearly 20,000 households impacted financially by COVID-19 have had their rent paid by the city.

Households are eligible if at least one person qualifies for unemployment, had income loss during the pandemic, incurred significant costs or experienced a financial hardship over the last year.

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