Updated 7/12/20212                     

Eligibility

Who is eligible?

To meet the minimum qualifications for the program, you must:

1. Be a Collin County resident, excluding residents living in the city limits of the City of Allen, City of Dallas, City of Frisco, City of Plano, and City of McKinney. To verify if your address is in Collin County, please visit: https://collin.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html.
2. Be a renter,
3. Have experienced hardship due, directly or indirectly, to the COVID-19 outbreak and can provide documentation of hardship. You can demonstrate that you:
   1. Qualify for unemployment 
   2. Experienced a reduction in household income 
   3. Incurred significant costs or 
   4. Experienced a financial hardship (must provide documentation),
4. Be at risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability, and
5. Have a documented income that does not exceed 80% of Area Medium Income, as outlined below:

Who is NOT eligible?

• Households that do not live in Collin County.
• Households that live in the city limits of the City of Allen, Dallas, Frisco, Plano and McKinney.
• Households whose income is greater than 80% of the area median income for Collin County. 
• Households who have not experienced a hardship due, directly or indirectly, to the COVID-19 outbreak.
• Households renting units owned by immediate family members. Immediate family ties include (whether by blood, marriage or adoption) the spouse, parent (including a stepparent), child (including a stepchild), brother, sister (including a stepbrother or stepsister), grandparent, grandchild and in-laws. 
• Any other households not listed as eligible households. 

Available Assistance

What type of financial assistance is available?

Financial assistance is available for rental and utility expenses incurred after March 13, 2020. This includes:

• rental arrears (i.e. rent that was due and is delinquent)
• utility arrears (i.e. utility payments that were due and are delinquent)
• future rent (up to 3 months at a time)
• current utility expenses (amount will be taken from current bill)

We cannot pay for future utility expenses. Only unpaid expenses qualify; you may not seek assistance for expenses that have already been paid or reimbursed by another program. Landlords may also receive financial assistance for reasonable attorney’s fees and court costs in the case of an active eviction.

JULY 12, 2022 UPDATE: Please note, effective immediately, the U.S. Treasury has ordered all future rent payments to not exceed September 30, 2022. This means that eligible applicants may only receive future rent through September 30, 2022 and will not be eligible for an award of future rent for October 1, 2022 and beyond. 

Which types of utility expenses are eligible?

Water, electric, gas, sewer, trash, and internet (if used for work, school, or to retrieve government assistance) are all eligible utilities. Utilities packaged into your rental payment are considered “rent” and are eligible as a rental expense, not a utility expense.

Is there a cap on the amount of financial assistance I can receive?

You may receive up to 12 months of assistance (measured from March 13, 2020), plus an additional 3 months if you can show that the extra months are needed to ensure housing stability and funds are available. Rental and utility assistance will be provided up to the maximum number of months allowed or $25,000, whichever is less.

JULY 12, 2022 UPDATE: Please note, effective immediately, the U.S. Treasury has ordered all future rent payments to not exceed September 30, 2022. This means that eligible applicants may only receive future rent through September 30, 2022 and will not be eligible for an award of future rent for October 1, 2022 and beyond. 

I don’t have any delinquent rent or utility expenses. Can I still apply?

You may apply for the program, even if you don’t have delinquent rent or utility expenses. Your Processor will examine your application to determine if you meet all requirements for the program, including that you are at risk of experiencing homelessness and housing instability.

My rent is subsidized through another program. Am I eligible for this program?

If you receive a monthly federal subsidy (e.g., a Housing Choice Voucher, Public Housing, or Project-Based Rental Assistance) and your rent is adjusted according to changes in income, you may receive assistance for the tenant-owed portion of rent or utilities that is not subsidized.

You already provided assistance to me. Can I apply for more assistance from this program?

You may reapply for funding as long as you haven’t received the maximum amount of assistance and if funds are still available for the program. You may reapply at the same website you used for your original application: https://ndc.smapply.io/prog/ERAP. 

If you are reapplying for assistance, you must be able to demonstrate that you have ongoing hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

If you or a member of your household experienced hardship due to contracting the COVID-19 virus, you will be asked to: (1) explain the hardship your household experienced due to the illness and (2) submit documentation of the hardship. In most instances, we will not be able to accept a self-administered COVID-19 test.

Will this program reimburse me if I paid my rent or utilities?

No.  Financial assistance is only available for unpaid expenses incurred after March 13, 2020, and payment will be made directly to the landlord or utility company. In the limited instance where a landlord refuses to participate in the program, payment may be made directly to the tenant.

Does the program offer assistance for food?

No. 

Does the program offer assistance for childcare? 

No. 

Does the program offer assistance for my mortgage? 

No. 

Application Process

Where do I apply?

You can access the application online at https://ndc.smapply.io/prog/ERAP. 

When does the program end?

The program runs through June 30, 2022 or until funding runs out, whichever occurs first.

Is the program first-come, first-served?

We are accepting applications on a rolling basis. However, the federal government requires that we prioritize providing funding assistance for applicants who:

• Have been unemployed for 90 days or longer OR
• Have a household income that is less than 50% of the Area Median Income for Collin County. 

Additionally, Collin County has chosen to prioritize households that are facing an active eviction case. Prioritized applications will be assigned to the next available Processor. 

What are the steps in the application process?

The online application requires you to perform the following tasks:

1. Provide your gender, race and ethnicity. (This is required by the federal government).
2. Identify the number of people in your household and upload required identification and income documents for household members. 
3. Write a short explanation of how COVID-19 has created a financial hardship for your household and upload documentation of this hardship. 
4. Provide information on your utility expenses. 
5. Identify any rental/utility assistance that you have already received or that you are currently applying for.
6. Submit a "recommendation" request to your landlord. Your landlord will be asked to upload a copy of your lease and complete a Landlord Confirmation form that gives us information about the amount of rent/late fees that you owe.

We recommend that you call your landlord to make sure they check their email for the recommendation request. 

I don’t have a document that is requested, and the application won’t let me submit my application. I can explain, but how can I do this?

Instead of uploading the required document, type or handwrite an explanation on a piece of paper and upload the paper. 

If you do not have a required document, the Processor assigned to your application may request a 3^rd party attestation (i.e., a document completed by someone other than you who has knowledge of your circumstances, such as your landlord) to prove that you meet the requirements of the program. In extraordinary circumstances, a Program Administrator may allow you to provide your own attestation to prove that you meet the requirements of the program. The acceptance of any form of attestation will be considered on a case-by-case basis and acceptance is not guaranteed.

Am I guaranteed funding if I submit an application?

No. Applications will be reviewed to ensure they meet the program requirements and funding must be available.

How can I tell if my landlord is working on the Landlord Confirmation form?

You will receive two emails regarding the status of the Landlord Confirmation form.

• 1^st email: Notifies you that your landlord either “accepted” or “declined” the invitation to complete the Landlord Confirmation form.
• 2^nd email: Notifies you that your landlord completed the Landlord Confirmation form.

If your landlord “declines” to fill out the Landlord Confirmation form, you should first contact your landlord to make sure that it was not a mistake. If your landlord tells you that they refuse to participate in the program, please contact us at: ERAPquestions@ndconline.org.

How can I tell if I successfully submitted my application?

After you complete the five Applicant Tasks, your landlord will need to complete the Landlord Confirmation form. After your landlord submits the form, your application will be automatically submitted. You will receive an email notifying you that your application has been submitted. 

What happens if my landlord doesn’t want to participate in the program?

If your landlord either declines in writing to complete the Landlord Confirmation form or never responds to the request, we will review your application to determine if financial assistance can be provided directly to you. This process will take several weeks because we must attempt to contact your landlord before providing financial assistance directly to you.

Required Documentation

What documentation do I need to provide in my application?

You must provide the following:

• Identification documents for all household members
  • Adults – You may submit a driver’s license, passport, or other form of government-issued photo identification
  • Children - You may submit a birth certificate, social security card, driver’s license (for older children), passport, or other form of government-issued identification.
• Income documentation –All adult members of the household (18 years and over) must submit:
  • Option 1:  Submit proof of your current monthly income (e.g. Must include at least 2 months of documentation such as pay stubs, bank statements, etc.)
    • You can read more about acceptable income documents here: https://ndc.smapply.io/res/p/incomedocuments/
• Documentation of COVID-19 hardship – You may submit a document such as a furlough letter, unemployment verification or paystubs. Self-employed applicants must provide documentation to show the difference in income before and after being impacted by COVID-19. Reapplicants must be able to demonstrate ongoing hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • You can read more about acceptable COVID-19 hardship documents here: https://ndc.smapply.io/res/p/Covidhardship/
• Documentation of risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability – Generally, the proof that your landlord submits will be sufficient. If you don’t have any unpaid expenses, we may need to collect additional information from you.
  • You can read more about acceptable proof of risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability here: https://ndc.smapply.io/res/p/housinginstability
• Documentation of Expenses
  • Rental expenses – Your landlord will submit your lease agreement and rent ledger (i.e. statement of rent and late fees that are owed).
  • If applying for utility assistance – You must submit the current month’s unpaid utility bills.

What qualifies as income? 

For purposes of determining income for this program, we use adjusted gross income as defined for purposes of reporting under Internal Revenue Service Form 1040 series for individual federal annual income tax purposes. Therefore, income includes:

• Wages, salaries, tips, etc. 
• Additional income, such as business or farm income or loss, unemployment compensation, prize or award money, or gambling winnings
• Taxable interest
• Qualified & ordinary dividends
• IRA distributions (taxable amount)
• Pension & annuity payments (taxable amount)
• Social security benefits (taxable amount)
• Capital gains (or losses)

Do I have to count my unemployment benefits as income?

Yes.

Do I have to count my entire household’s income?

Income from all adult members of the household (18 yrs and over) must be submitted.

How do I document my income if I get paid in cash?

You’ll need to provide bank statements and/or similar documentation of the cash payments that you receive. 

Payment Process

Will payment be sent directly to me?

Payment is made directly to your landlord or utility company. In limited circumstances, financial assistance for rent or rental arrears may be paid directly to you. 

I was notified that my application was approved for assistance. When will my landlord and utility providers be paid? 

The timing of payment depends upon how we are paying your landlord or utility provider. If the landlord or utility provider can only accept payment via check, it will take longer to transmit payment to them. However, your landlord and utility providers will be notified that you were approved for financial assistance at the same time you are notified. 

How will I know if my utility provider or landlord has been paid, and how much has been paid?

Your assigned processor will be able to answer your application status questions.

Are late fees assessed by landlords an eligible expense?

Yes. Late fees are an eligible expense so long as they are reasonable and are charged in accordance with the lease. Excessively high late fees will be subject to extra review.

Is there an appeals process for disputed or denied applications?

Yes, a committee has been established to handle the appeals process. To dispute a denied application, please contact ERAPappeal@ndconline.org or call the Helpline at (833) 696-0804.

Who is administering this program?

Members of the National Development Council’s Residential & Small Business Team will be assigned to review and process applications. Community Development Properties North Texas, Inc., a related non-profit, was selected by Collin County to serve as the third party administrator for this program.

Who do I contact if I need more assistance?

Contact ERAPquestions@ndconline.org or call the Helpline at (833) 696-0804. All emails and voicemails will be returned within one business day.