Rental Assistance 2026: Where to Get Help With Rent

Pages written while pandemic programs were open can still describe help that has closed. That's the first trap. The second is any ad promising a "rent grant" if you pay a processing fee. This guide sorts what's real from what isn't and puts the official routes in the order that usually gets help fastest.

Where Rental Help Comes From Now

Housing agencies in the 50 states and DC received about $37.3 billion in Housing Choice Voucher obligations, according to USAspending.gov FY2025 data. But voucher money reaches new families through waiting lists, so the right first move depends on how urgent your situation is.

Grantsights decision rule: if you're facing eviction or a shutoff in the next 30 days, start with 211 and legal aid, not a voucher waitlist. A voucher application is still worth filing, but it won't stop this month's eviction.

The Federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program Has Ended

The Treasury's two emergency rental programs were the largest rent help in U.S. history. According to the Treasury's ERA program page (opens in a new tab), ERA1 provided $25 billion and ERA2 provided $21.55 billion to assist eligible households. The same page says the ERA2 period of performance ended on September 30, 2025, and that grantees "may no longer use ERA2 award funds to assist renters."

What that means for you:

• You can't apply for ERA anymore. Any site taking "ERA applications" in 2026 isn't running the federal program.
• Some local programs survived on other money. Cities, counties, and states that kept rent help going did it with their own budgets, other federal block grants, or charity partners. Their rules and open dates vary, so you'll have to check locally.
• Old ERA pages are still online. A common mistake is following a state ERA portal that has stopped taking applications. Look for a current date on the page and a working application link before you spend time on it.

The CFPB's eviction guidance puts it plainly: many pandemic programs "have now closed or stopped accepting applications, but some money may still be available." The CFPB rent and bills page (opens in a new tab) says to start with local organizations and points to 211.

Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8): The Biggest Program, With a Wait

Housing Choice Vouchers are HUD's main rent subsidy for households: $37.59 billion in HUD obligations, according to USAspending.gov FY2025 data, under Assistance Listing 14.871, including the territories. HUD's Housing Choice Voucher page for tenants (opens in a new tab) says "there are around 2,000 Local Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) across the country that administer the HCV program with funding from HUD."

Who qualifies

HUD says "generally, families must be extremely low-income or very low-income to qualify." Under 24 CFR 982.201 (opens in a new tab), at least 75% of families a PHA admits from its waiting list each year must be extremely low income. Income limits vary by county and household size; HUD publishes them each year on HUD USER's income limits page (opens in a new tab). HUD's tenant page also says applicants must be U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens and that the head of household must have a valid Social Security number.

What you pay

HUD says your share "is usually 30% of your adjusted monthly income," and your rent "may be as high as 40% of your adjusted monthly income." The voucher covers the rest of the approved rent, paid to the landlord.

How to apply

1. Find your PHA. Use HUD's Public Housing Agency contact directory (opens in a new tab) and pick your state.
2. Ask if the list is open. HUD says an agency may close its list when demand is high. Ask how it announces a reopening.
3. Apply to more than one PHA. HUD says "you may need to apply to multiple Public Housing Agency waitlists." Ask each agency whether it gives a preference to people who live or work in its area.
4. Have documents ready. HUD lists income paperwork, bank information, proof of citizenship, and Social Security cards.
5. Keep your address and phone current. If an agency can't reach you when your name comes up, you can lose your place.

The honest downside: vouchers are not an entitlement. Your place depends, as HUD puts it, on "the available number of vouchers, when you applied," and local preferences such as veteran or disability status. Apply now, but plan for the wait.

FY2025 voucher money by state

Voucher dollars follow rents and the number of vouchers an area has, not population. Grantsights analysis of USAspending.gov (opens in a new tab) FY2025 obligations found the 50 states and DC received about $109 per resident on average, but the spread is wide. For example, Massachusetts received $2.05 billion, about $286 per resident, while Texas received $2.11 billion for more than four times as many people, about $67 per resident.

Source: USAspending.gov award search (opens in a new tab), Assistance Listing 14.871, FY2025 obligations by recipient state; per-resident figures use Census Bureau July 1, 2025 estimates.

At the top, DC ($547 per resident), Massachusetts ($286), New York ($241), Connecticut ($194), and California ($188) received the most per person. At the bottom, Kansas ($32), Wyoming ($37), Idaho ($41), Wisconsin ($45), and Iowa ($46) received the least. A low number doesn't mean you shouldn't apply. It does mean less voucher money per person in that state, so applying to several agencies matters even more.

Public Housing and HUD-Subsidized Apartments

Public housing is a unit, not a voucher. According to HUD's public housing page (opens in a new tab), roughly 970,000 households live in public housing managed by about 3,300 housing agencies. HUD sets income limits tied to the area's median income.

Your rent, which HUD calls the Total Tenant Payment, is the highest of these: 30% of monthly adjusted income, 10% of monthly income, welfare rent where it applies, or a minimum rent of $25 (an agency may set it as high as $50).

How to apply: contact your local housing agency and submit a written application with documents such as birth certificates or tax returns. HUD says long waits are common and an agency may close its list when demand runs ahead of supply.

Privately owned buildings with HUD contracts are a separate route. You usually apply with the building's management, not the housing agency. The HUD resource locator (opens in a new tab) maps them. Older adults should also read our Section 202 senior housing guide, which explains how HUD's elderly housing works from the building side.

State and Local Emergency Rent Help: Finding What's Open

With ERA gone, short-term rent help is a patchwork. The fastest way to see it is 211. The 211 housing page (opens in a new tab) calls your local 211 "the best resource for help finding options to pay your rent," and says you "can call 211 to speak with someone immediately." Be ready to describe your living situation, income, and who lives with you.

Here's what usually turns up, and what to ask about each:

Two practical notes from the CFPB rent page: it can take several weeks to receive rental assistance after applying, and if you're behind on utilities too, contact your local LIHEAP office or call the national hotline the CFPB lists, (866) 674-6327. Families with children can also ask their state TANF office what help it offers; our TANF cash assistance guide explains how the program works.

The common mistake with local programs is timing. A program funded for a set amount can run out and close. Ask 211 when the next round opens, and apply as soon as it does.

Eviction Help and Legal Aid

If you've received an eviction notice, rent help alone may not be enough. The CFPB's eviction steps page (opens in a new tab) splits it in two:

If no lawsuit has been filed yet: apply for state or local rent help, talk with your landlord about a repayment plan, and find out about state or local protections that could delay an eviction while you get help.

If a lawsuit has been filed: respond. The CFPB says "too many renters give up before they have a chance to go to court." Ask the court clerk how long you have to file an answer, whether there's a court date, and whether the court offers mediation. Talk with a lawyer.

Where to find free legal help

• Legal aid. The Legal Services Corporation (opens in a new tab) funds 129 independent nonprofit legal aid organizations and lets you search by address for the nearest one. The CFPB notes you may qualify for free legal aid based on your income.
• Bar association referral. The CFPB points to your local bar association when legal aid can't take your case.
• Servicemembers. The CFPB says servicemembers should contact their local Legal Assistance Office; federal law limits evictions of servicemembers and their dependents during military service and lets them request a pause of up to 90 days.

A red flag: anyone who says they can stop an eviction for an upfront fee and isn't a licensed lawyer or legal aid office. Courts and legal aid offices will tell you what's real.

What Rental Assistance Websites Don't Tell You

Grantsights checked the official sources above against the claims renters most often run into online. Here's what the official pages make clear:

1. The federal emergency program is closed. A page that still lists ERA as open is out of date. The Treasury's own page says ERA2 funds can no longer be used to assist renters.
2. There's no "rent grant" you apply for online. Rent help comes as vouchers, public housing, or one-time payments that usually go to your landlord. The FTC's government grant scams page (opens in a new tab) says "no government agency will ever contact you to demand that you pay to get a grant."
3. Nobody can sell you a better Section 8 spot. HUD says your place depends on available vouchers, when you applied, and local preferences. A paid "application service" can't change any of those. You apply through the PHA itself.
4. Listings can be fake, too. The FTC's rental listing scams page (opens in a new tab) warns that if anyone insists you pay by wire transfer, or the rent is far below the area's going rate, it could be a scam. A landlord doesn't need your Social Security number before you agree to rent.
5. Your PHA isn't your only option. HUD says you may need to apply to more than one agency's waitlist, so check every agency you could realistically live near.

If you've been asked to pay for rent help or a voucher spot, report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov (opens in a new tab).

A Realistic Plan for the Next 30 Days

Here's the order that tends to work, based on how the routes above actually operate:

1. Today: call 211 and ask for open rent, utility, and eviction-prevention programs in your county. Write down names and dates.
2. This week: if you've received court papers, contact legal aid through the LSC finder and mark your answer deadline.
3. This week: talk with your landlord in writing about a repayment plan, and tell them which programs you've applied to.
4. This month: find every PHA within reach in HUD's directory, ask which lists are open, and apply to each.
5. Ongoing: keep copies of every application and keep your contact details current with each agency.

Grantsights' free eligibility checker can help you sort routes. If you choose "Individual" and then "Personal financial help," it doesn't list grants. It points to the official routes, including the USA.gov benefit finder, rental help, help with bills, and food help, along with the 211 line. If you're a parent on your own, our guide to grants for single mothers covers what's real for that situation, and our guide to how to apply for grants as an individual explains why most individual "grants" are really benefit programs.

If you're thinking past renting, our guide to first-time home buyer grants explains the state down payment programs that exist and how to tell them from ads.

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Sources

1. U.S. Treasury: Emergency Rental Assistance Program (opens in a new tab) - ERA1 and ERA2 amounts and ERA2 end date
2. HUD: Housing Choice Voucher program for tenants (opens in a new tab) - eligibility, tenant rent share, waitlists, how to apply
3. HUD: Public Housing Agency contacts (opens in a new tab) - PHA directory by state
4. 24 CFR 982.201 (opens in a new tab) - voucher income eligibility and 75% extremely low-income targeting
5. HUD USER: income limits (opens in a new tab) - county income limits
6. HUD: Public housing (opens in a new tab) - households served, rent rules, how to apply
7. CFPB: Get help paying rent and bills (opens in a new tab) - local rent help, LIHEAP line, legal help
8. CFPB: What to do if you're facing eviction (opens in a new tab) - eviction steps
9. 211: Help with housing expenses (opens in a new tab) - local rent help referrals
10. Legal Services Corporation: legal aid finder (opens in a new tab) - legal aid finder
11. FTC: Government grant scams (opens in a new tab) and FTC: Rental listing scams (opens in a new tab) - scam warning signs
12. USAspending.gov award search (opens in a new tab) - FY2025 Housing Choice Voucher obligations (Assistance Listing 14.871)
13. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 state population estimates (opens in a new tab) - July 1, 2025 population used for per-resident figures