Emergency Rental Assistance Program

The Boise City & Ada County Housing Authorities (BCACHA) is proud to administer the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP). This program is designed to provide assistance to Ada County renters facing financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. If you are currently renting and your household has experienced financial hardship during or due to COVID-19, you may be eligible to receive emergency rent and/or utility assistance.

Important Notice

ERAP portal anticipated to close June 2023

As the program begins to wind down, we encourage households who have not yet applied for emergency rental assistance or received it to do so as soon as possible. While funds are available, BCACHA will continue reviewing and processing both returning and new applications – prioritizing households who:

  • Have received court eviction notices (and these notices have been provided);
  • are at or below 50% Area Median Income (AMI); or
  • Where one or more household members were unemployed for at least 90 days leading up to the date of application (and adequate documentation has been provided).

At this time, we anticipate the portal will close in June 2023, depending upon funding availability and volume of applications. Therefore, it is advised that households apply as soon as possible. Applicants with active applications should watch for communication from BCACHA in case additional information is needed to process their application. All remaining applicants will be notified once funding is fully committed that ERAP is unable to fund their requests.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible, a household must:

  • Be an Ada County resident;
  • Have an obligation to pay rent on a residential dwelling;
  • One or more individuals within the household has qualified for unemployment benefits or experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced other financial hardship during or due, directly or indirectly, to the coronavirus pandemic;
  • One or more individuals within the household can demonstrate a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability; and
  • Have a household income at or below 80 percent of area median income.

You may not receive rent or utility assistance from any other source (including federal, state, and local assistance). The maximum amount of assistance households can receive is dependent upon need and funding availability.

Eligible Expenses

  • Past due rent;
  • Current and future rent (up to 3 months at a time);
  • Utilities (water, sewer, trash, electricity, gas, and internet);
  • Security deposits

Eligible households may receive up to 12 months of assistance, plus an additional 3 months if funds are available.

Application Requirements

Before you submit an application, you must gather all of the required documents and have them ready to upload. If you submit an application without having all of the documents needed, it will delay the processing of your application. Allowable document file types are: pdf, jpg, jpeg, pnp, tiff, zip.

Landlord Information
  • Landlord/Owner name, email, phone number, and mailing address
  • Important! Make sure you have accurate information, including the email address. It may create issues linking your account to your landlord’s, and delay processing your application.
Unit Information
  • Current lease agreement, with signatures (all pages)
  • Copy of an eviction notice or past due notice, if applicable
  • Most recent utility bills (if requesting assistance with utilities)
Household Information
  • Income documentation (provide all applicable documentation):
    • Employment Income: 2022 tax returns, W2’s; OR last two months of pay stubs
    • Unemployment: Copy of benefit notice and print out of payments received for the last two months
    • Self-Employment: 2022 tax returns
    • Social Security Benefits: 2022 tax information or copy of a current award letter
    • Child Support: Print out of payments received in last two months or verification from absent parent
    • Other Income: Documentation from the source stating the monthly amount received. For example, VA pension, annuities, disability income, workmen’s compensation, alimony, etc.
Applicants
Landlords

*Important: Residents outside of Ada County must apply here.

It is the policy of BCACHA to see that every individual regardless of race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin, familial status, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability shall have equal opportunity in accessing affordable housing. If you or anyone in your family is a person with disabilities, and you require a specific accommodation in order to fully utilize our programs and services, please submit a request in writing or contact our office at (208) 363-9710.