Screenshot / Street Sense Media and The DC Line

This story was produced by Street Sense Media and The DC Line.

The need for rental assistance in the city is high. D.C.’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) reopened on Oct. 1 after closing in March due to the volume of applications. But by Oct. 10, the program closed again, due to high demand, according to an announcement on the portal. ERAP will reopen for new applications on Jan. 1, 2024.

ERAP assists low-income residents who are facing eviction or other housing emergencies, with the program either paying the household’s back rent or providing money to help them move into a new apartment. The program ballooned during the pandemic, as many District residents unable to work relied on it to stay housed.

For the past several years, ERAP has run out of funding long before the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. While the program is supposed to be available year-round, an influx of requests last year drained the budget and led to officials cutting off further applications after only five months. Advocates such as the Fair Budget Coalition called for D.C. to increase funding for the program, but the FY 2024 budget holds funding steady at $43 million.

In an effort to make ERAP funds last longer, D.C.’s Department of Human Services, which runs the program, announced that applications for ERAP would open quarterly, meaning it will open three more times over the next year: Jan. 1, April 1 and July 1. Each time, the portal...

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