Homeless Prevention
Homeless Prevention is designed to assist low-income households pay for rent, mortgages, and utilities. The Homeless Prevention Program endeavors to aid families and individuals experiencing a short-term crisis beyond their control. The objective is to keep the clients self-sufficient and stabilized in their existing homes. Ultimately, assistance will keep clients from being evicted due to unpaid mortgage, rent, or utilities.
Households looking to apply for assistance must document a temporary economic crisis beyond household control, by giving evidence of at least one of the following conditions:
-
loss of employment
- medical disability or emergency
- loss or delay of some form of public benefit
- natural disaster
- substantial change in household composition
- victimization by criminal activity
- illegal action by a landlord
- displacement by a government or private action, or
- some other condition which constitutes a hardship comparable to the other conditions enumerated above.
The households must also be able to demonstrate an ability to meet prospective rental/utility obligations or mortgage payments after assistance has been granted based on current or anticipated income. Payments for Homeless Prevention services will be made to a landlord, utility company or other vendor who provides housing or other services on behalf of an applicant for assistance. Payments will not be made directly to an applicant.
Program Eligibility
All other resources must be exhausted.
- The client must provide documentation of the reason why rent payment has not been paid with the eligibility determination.
- The client must be a resident of the home or apartment and responsible for the rent/mortgage on the home or apartment where the rent/mortgage assistance is being paid.
- All household incomes must be verified:
We will need to see documentation of income from all sources for the last 30 days including: Employment, Unemployment, TANF, GA, Child Support, Social Security, SSI Disability, VA Benefits, Pension, or any other source of income. Additionally: clients will be asked to provide supply 90 days of bank statements.
- Payment may be limited to one month for each individual or household. Note: late fees and legal fees are ineligible.
- Assistance can be provided for persons receiving housing subsidies through Section 8 or the Illinois Rental Housing Support Program (RHS) for Security Deposit only.
- No assistance can be provided to pay rent to relatives or friends.
- You/landlord will need to provide a tax bill on the property.
For more information on where to access Homeless Prevention, Homeless Crisis Interventions, and Coordinated Entry, please see the Continuum of Care Homeless Response System Map here.
