CHEYENNE, Wyo. – The Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) will stop accepting new applications and letters of intent (LOI) on Nov. 10, 2022 in anticipation of running out of federal funds by early spring. The changes will only impact individuals who have not previously received ERAP. The program will continue to fund extension requests for enrolled and eligible households for the time being. 

“If the current spending pattern of almost $6 million per month continues, we would expect to exhaust our rental and utility assistance funds next spring,” said Korin Schmidt, Director of the Wyoming Department of Family Services.  

“We want to take some proactive steps now to slow down the rate of spending so we can assess the best use of the remaining funds and fulfill our current obligations. Our intent is to wind down the program in a way that gives currently enrolled renters time to prepare their finances to handle their future rental and utility payments,” Schmidt said.

She added, “Since the inception of the program, we have had concerns about the impact on renters and landlords when the federal funding runs out. We’ve tried to message to ERAP recipients that these are temporary funds, but when in crisis, it’s often difficult to think months ahead. We’re hoping that slowing down spending will allow us to stretch the dollars as much and as far as possible and avoid an abrupt shutdown.” 

Wyoming received its second allocation of $45.6 million in assistance, housing support, and administration funds from the U.S. Department of Treasury on Sept. 29.  Wyoming may still be eligible to receive additional federal funds; however, that will not be confirmed until early next year. If awarded more funds, the program will reevaluate the current rental-related needs and determine the best use of those dollars within the federal program guidelines.  

Local services through the community based organizations (CBO) participating in ERAP are expected to continue through June 2023 when their contracts end. The CBOs have been an integral part of ERAP, and the program will continue to seek their input for ideas and suggestions on how to bring it to a close.

The program will be implementing the following policy changes: 

1. No new applications will be accepted after 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 10, 2022. This change ONLY impacts households that have never received ERAP funding.
2. No letters of intent (LOI) will be accepted after 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 10, 2022. The LOIs opened ERAP to Wyoming households that were homeless or without a current residence under lease/rental agreement. 

Demand for the program has grown beyond its initial slow start. The program has been receiving an average of 166 applications a day. Since its launch in April 2021, ERAP has helped 13,591 Wyoming households with a total of $63.34 million in assistance. Of the total assistance payments, $49.5 million went to landlords, $10.09 million to households, $3.6 million to utilities and moving expenses are $26,369. To see county specific information, click here to see the map.

About ERAP

The Wyoming Department of Family Services, with assistance from the Department of Workforce Services, is administering the state’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), 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.