Saint Louis
Emergency Rental Assistance Program

Households who rent their home/apartment must meet four Saint Louis Emergency Rental assistance criteria.

1. One or more individuals within the household are obligated to pay rent or have rental arrears (past due) on a residence located in Yakima County.
   
   
2. Total household income is equal to or less than fifty percent (80%) of the area median income (AMI).
   
   
3. One or more individuals within the household who have Qualified for unemployment insurance benefits; or, Experienced financial loss due, directly or indirectly, to COVID-19.
   
   
4. One or more individuals within the household can demonstrate a risk of experiencing homelessness; or housing instability.

After submitting your application, it will move through the following five steps:

1. Application Review
   
   
2. Tenant Outreach – someone will contact you if more information is needed.
   
   
3. Eligibility Determination – your application moves to the next step if you meet the eligibility criteria. If not, you will receive a written denial which you can appeal.
   
   
4. Landlord Outreach
   
   
5. Payment Processing

If you have already applied to a previous round and haven’t heard back, you might already be set up with an account. You do not need to sign up for a new account. Please contact us at FORWARD-support@forwardplatform.com so we can confirm if you have an account.

If you would like to check on the status of your application, please log into your FORWARD account and click the “My Applications” tab to see your status.

You meet the income eligibility requirements if your total household income equals or less than 80% of the area median income (AMI). Your AMI depends on how many people live in your household.

No. United States citizenship is NOT an eligibility requirement of this program.

You must be 18 Years or older to apply. Or you are legally emancipated if under 18 years of age.

Eligible renters may receive up to eighteen (18) months total assistance for unpaid past due rent and utilities incurred after March 13, 2020.

No. According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Emergency Rental Assistance is to help eligible households that require financial assistance to pay for rent, utilities, and other related expenses. Rental and utility payments ONLY count as gross income for your landlord or utility provider.

ERA payments will be made directly to landlords and service providers. The information provided in your application will be used to contact your landlord or utility provider(s). You will receive documentation of all payments made to your landlord or utility provider(s) on your behalf.

They can include electricity, gas, water/sewer, trash removal, energy costs, such as fuel, oil, or wood for heating. The Internet is considered an utility for this program.

Phone and TV bills are NOT included in the program.

Costs related to obtaining or keeping safe housing will be considered on a case-by-case basis when an application is reviewed.

Yes. Households that receive a monthly federal subsidy are eligible to apply for assistance. However, assistance will only be provided for the amount not covered by other programs.

No, but rental assistance is limited to 18 months in total.

FMR is the Fair Market Rent of a rental unit in a designated area decided by the Department of Housing Urban Development. As defined in 24 CFR 888.113, Fair Market Rents are estimates of 40th percentile gross rents for standard quality units within a metropolitan area or nonmetropolitan county. The table below depicts the FMR for Saint Louis.