Emergency Rental Assistance Program Payments End in June

Wyoming’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program will end its rental, utility and housing stability assistance payments in June, according to a news release from the Wyoming Department of Family Services.

Households with questions about their extension application status or what months they can apply for funding should contact the ERAP call center, which is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. The toll-free number is 1-877-WYO-ERAP (1-877-996-3727).

Congress created the temporary federal relief program to provide emergency funds for state and local governments to keep their residents housed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wyoming launched its emergency relief program in April 2021.

It has helped 16,949 Wyoming households with $87 million in assistance.

“We are proud that this temporary program helped keep thousands of Wyoming households housed during these difficult times, and we are very grateful for the valuable support by our community based partners in every county,” said Korin Schmidt, director of the Wyoming Department of Family Services.

“We are now focused on closing the program responsibly and fairly, giving several months’ notice for households to adjust their finances accordingly and landlords to work with their renters," Schmidt said.

The U.S. Treasury Department recently awarded Wyoming $23.6 million, which is the state’s final allocation. State officials anticipate program funding will continue through June.

The Wyoming Department of Family Services, with assistance from the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, administers the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, a U.S. Treasury initiative passed through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 and expanded by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

Learn more at dfs.wyo.gov/erap.