Denver has received $22 million from the U.S. Department of Treasury’s $25 billion Emergency Rental Assistance Program to provide housing support to residents during the COVID-19 crisis, which has put hundreds of thousands of Coloradans out of work. 

The federal ERAP was launched on Jan. 5 to offer help to households that cannot afford to pay rent and utilities due to the pandemic. The dollars were directly funneled to states as well as municipalities with more than 200,000 residents. 

Denver city officials say the new program will “complement” the city’s locally funded Temporary Rent and Utility Assistance Program, which has been in record demand for months, even as some people have returned to work. For example, the city’s housing stability team reported late last year that the first three months of 2020 drew in 522 TRUA applications, but the inflow spiked to nearly five times as many from July through September.

“We’re seeing folks who wouldn’t have previously needed to apply for rental assistance and were previously higher income now applying,” Melissa Thate, head of housing policy for Denver’s Department of Housing Stability, said during a Denver City Council committee meeting in November. 

On Tuesday, a Denver spokeswoman could not provide to Colorado Politics the exact date at which funds will be made available to the public, but said the city is in the process of filing an action to accept the funds, which will move through the Denver City Council legislative pipeline as a grant award. 

“I anticipate we could be at committee as early as next week to accept the funds and then it will follow the normal City Council process,” city spokeswoman Julie Smith said in an email. 

Denver’s Department of Housing Stability will administer the funds once they have been approved by the Denver City Council, likely in February. The department is currently in discussions with existing rental assistance providers across city-funded programs, department spokesman Derek Woodbury told Colorado Politics, and is also in the process of “exploring” additional partnerships. 

Once available, ERAP funds will be open to individuals and families who rent their homes and earn up to 80% of the area median income, or up to $54,950 for a single-person household and $78,500 for a four-person family. 

To be eligible for assistance, Denver households must prove at least one member qualifies for unemployment, has experienced a drop in household income, has taken on “significant” costs, or experienced a financial hardship related to the pandemic. Additionally, applicants must also demonstrate a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability. 

Households will be given priority assistance if a resident has been out of work for the 90 days prior to applying for assistance, as well as if they earn an income at or under 50% of the AMI, meaning up to $50,000 in a household of four.

City officials advise residents who are seeking rental and utility assistance to call 311 and select option 6. Callers will be asked for “basic” information, including their address, proof of household income, proof of residency, proof of housing bills due or past due, and information about how the pandemic has affected their housing stability.