Statement:
As of January 20, 2023 Phase 4 of the Emergency Rental Assistance Program is closed. Please note: All applications at PHL Rent Assist are now closed for resubmission, review, and payment.
Our Help Desk staff will remain available to answer questions about the following:
- Outstanding Payments
- Appeals
To submit a Help Desk request click here.
Landlords that applied to Phase 4 that are currently participating in the City’s Eviction-Diversion Program may still receive payments from other state/federal funding sources. Please note that funding is limited. Landlords can visit Eviction-Diversion.Phila.gov to apply to participate in the Eviction Diversion Program.
Tenants can learn about their rights and responsibilities at www.phillytenant.org.
Department of Planning and Development Announces Rental Assistance Milestone, Outlines Next Step
PHILADELPHIA, PA – November 7, 2022 – Today the City of Philadelphia announced a new milestone for the City’s rental assistance program: $297 million disbursed to aid 46,300 at-risk households within just 30 months.
The City’s program, PHLRentAssist, has been recognized as a national model since its launch within weeks of the region’s COVID-19 shutdown. The program is operated by community development non-profit PHDC.
In addition to PHLRentAssist payments made directly to landlords and tenants, rental assistance has been provided to many participants in the City’s Eviction Diversion program. Since January 2022, landlords who wish to file in court for eviction have been required to apply directly to the court’s Eviction Diversion portal. The availability of rental assistance to help bridge the gap between rent owed and rent paid has been critical to the extraordinary success of Eviction Diversion in resolving landlord-tenant issues and heading off evictions.
The Department of Planning and Development is working with its partners to update the Eviction Diversion program. Assistance will be targeted to participants in the updated Eviction Diversion program when that program opens up.
“Rental assistance has been a very valuable tool for overcoming landlord-tenant disputes said Eva Gladstein, Deputy Managing Director for Health and Human Services. “The coordination among the City, PHDC, and Court has helped keep families in their homes. We look forward to the continuing partnership under the future version of Eviction Diversion.”
PHLRentAssist, created as the City’s COVID-19 Emergency Rental and Utility Assistance Program, made payment directly to eligible landlords and tenants. Payment has been made on all completed, approved, and eligible PHLRentAssist applications and applications still in pending status at PHDC are now inactive and closed to further review.
Landlords who had applied to PHLRentAssist, are currently participating in the City’s existing Eviction Diversion Program, or are currently in Landlord-Tenant Court may still receive payments from other state or federal funding sources. This funding is limited.
“I applaud the work of PHDC and the Department of Planning and Development on PHLRentAssist,” said Mayor Jim Kenney. “PHDC staff went above and beyond every day to help eligible Philadelphians get the payments they needed. This expertise will be invaluable as we move forward with rental assistance as a component of Eviction Diversion.”
To date, PHDC staff have responded to over 141,000 Help Desk inquiries and partnered with 311 to handle over 75,000 phone calls from the public about PHLRentAssist. Staff at over a dozen partner Neighborhood Advisory Committees provided in-person support in multiple languages.
To see how funding has been administered for rental assistance in Philadelphia, please view the PHLRentAssist dashboard.
Landlords can visit Eviction-Diversion.Phila.gov to apply to participate in the Eviction Diversion Program.
Tenants can learn about their rights and responsibilities at www.phillytenant.org.
For more information go to the HELP DESK.