Illinois Rental Assistance Programs and How to Apply

Illinois currently runs two rental assistance programs that pay landlords directly on behalf of tenants who are behind on rent. The Court-Based Rental Assistance Program (CBRAP) is for tenants who already have an eviction case filed against them and covers up to $10,000 in past-due rent, up to two months of future rent, and up to $700 in court costs. The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) Homelessness Prevention Program is for households facing a housing crisis before an eviction is filed and can cover up to six months’ worth of rent value across rent, arrears, utilities, deposits, and related costs. The older Illinois Rental Payment Program (ILRPP), which paid up to $25,000 per household during the pandemic, is closed to new applications.¹

Neither active program requires proof of citizenship, and assistance received through them is not treated as a “public charge” benefit for immigration purposes.² In both programs, money goes to the landlord or utility vendor, never to the tenant.

Who Qualifies for CBRAP

CBRAP is administered by the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) and is only available if your landlord has already filed an eviction case for nonpayment of rent. That means a complaint has been filed, you’ve received a court summons, and the circuit clerk has assigned a case number.³ Falling behind on rent is not enough on its own; the formal eviction has to be underway.

Household income can’t exceed 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) for your location.⁴ AMI varies significantly across Illinois, and HUD publishes updated limits every year that reflect local differences.⁵ The 80% cap for a four-person household in the Chicago metro area sits well above the same cap in a rural downstate county. Check the current figure for your area before assuming you earn too much.

What CBRAP Pays For

An eligible household can receive up to $10,000 applied to past-due rent, up to two months of future rent to prevent an immediate second crisis, and up to $700 for court costs.⁶

The program will not pay late fees or delinquent homeowner association (HOA) dues.⁴ It also doesn’t cover utility bills; those go through LIHEAP, described further down.

How to Apply for CBRAP

Tenants and landlords both apply online at IllinoisHousingHelp.org. Each side creates its own account, completes a pre-eligibility questionnaire, and uploads documents through the portal.⁶ Sensitive information like tax IDs stays in the portal rather than passing directly between the parties.

An application is joint, so it isn’t considered complete until both sides submit their materials. If your landlord refuses to participate, tenant-only applications go through a separate, slower review track.² Reach out early and ask the landlord to file their portion.

Tenants need to have ready:

Government-issued photo ID (driver’s license, state ID, or passport)
Proof of household income: pay stubs, benefit letters, unemployment records, or tax documents
Eviction court documents, including the complaint, summons, and case number; your name has to appear on the eviction filing³

Landlords need:

A rent ledger or statement showing missed payments by date and amount
Proof of property ownership: a property tax bill or mortgage statement dated within the last 90 days
A current signed lease, if one exists
Tax identification (SSN or ITIN for individual landlords, EIN for business entities)
A copy of the court case summons²

Every dollar figure on the application must match the supporting documents. IHDA cannot edit an application once it’s submitted, and a mismatch can trigger a denial with no simple fix.³

IHDA aims to decide completed applications within 30 to 45 days.³ That clock effectively starts once both sides have uploaded their documents. If a court date falls inside that window, tell the judge you have a pending CBRAP application. Judges often grant continuances to allow processing time.

What Happens to the Eviction Case

As a condition of accepting CBRAP funds, the landlord agrees to dismiss the pending eviction for nonpayment of rent.⁷ Illinois courts use a standardized Agreed Dismissal Order for this purpose. The case can be reinstated if you violate the terms of that agreement going forward.⁸

Every residential eviction summons in Illinois is required to include a notice about court-based rental assistance in English and Spanish. If your summons didn’t include that notice, raise it with the court or a legal aid attorney.

IDHS Homelessness Prevention Program

If no eviction has been filed yet but you’re at real risk of losing your housing, the Homelessness Prevention Program is the main state option. It covers a broader set of costs than CBRAP: rent, rent arrears, utility bills and utility arrears, security deposits, and approved supportive services including legal assistance. Total assistance to any household can’t exceed the dollar value of six months’ rent.⁹

You have to document a temporary economic crisis beyond your control. Qualifying situations include:

Job loss
Medical disability or emergency
Loss or delay of public benefits
Natural disaster
Major change in household composition
Being victimized by criminal activity
Illegal action by a landlord
Displacement by government or private action⁹

You also need to show that once the assistance ends you can keep up with rent or utility payments from your current or expected income. The program is available once every two years per household, though IDHS may consider exceptions when a new crisis hits inside that window.⁹

There’s no central state portal for this one. Funding runs through local Continuums of Care to community-based agencies. Contact an IDHS Service Provider Agency and ask about rental assistance to find your local provider.¹ Payments go to the landlord, utility company, or other vendor.

Utility Bills Go Through LIHEAP

If your main problem is past-due gas, electric, or propane, neither CBRAP nor Homelessness Prevention alone is the right route for that portion. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), administered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, covers heat, gas, propane, and electricity costs for eligible households.

Applications for the 2026 LIHEAP season are accepted from October 1, 2025 through August 15, 2026, or until funding runs out. Eligibility is based on gross household income for the 30 days before applying. The income caps for common household sizes:

1 person: $3,332 per month
2 people: $4,357 per month
3 people: $5,382 per month
4 people: $6,407 per month
5 people: $7,432 per month
6 people: $8,457 per month¹⁰

Bring Social Security numbers or ITINs for household members, proof of income for the last 30 days, and your utility bill. Applicants without an SSN or ITIN can still apply; the local agency will work with you on documentation.

If Your Application Is Denied

IHDA does not publish a formal appeals process for CBRAP denials. The program’s FAQ lists “Denied” as a possible application status but doesn’t describe how to contest that decision.⁴ Combined with the rule that applications can’t be edited after submission, that leaves little room to correct course inside the program itself.

If you’re denied, contact a legal aid organization or a HUD-approved housing counseling agency right away. They can flag alternative local programs, negotiate directly with your landlord, or prepare you for your eviction hearing. The IDHS Homelessness Prevention Program may also be an option if you meet its separate criteria.

Free Legal Help for Tenants Facing Eviction

Eviction Help Illinois is a statewide network of legal aid organizations funded through IDHS and the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation. It includes Legal Aid Chicago, Prairie State Legal Services, Land of Lincoln Legal Aid, and other groups that represent tenants in eviction cases at no cost. Call 855-631-0811, text “eviction” to 85622, or use the live chat at EvictionHelpIllinois.org.⁴

Getting an attorney involved early changes outcomes. A lawyer can ask for continuances to give your CBRAP application time to process, catch procedural errors in the eviction filing, and make sure your landlord actually files the dismissal once payment arrives. Many tenants lose eviction cases because they appear without representation, not because the underlying law is against them.

1
Illinois Housing Development Authority. Illinois Housing Help
2
Illinois Housing Development Authority. Illinois Court-Based Rental Assistance Program Toolkit
3
Illinois Housing Development Authority. Illinois Court-Based Rental Assistance Program
4
Illinois Housing Development Authority. FAQs – Illinois Housing Help
5
HUD USER. Income Limits
6
Illinois Housing Development Authority. Illinois Court-Based Rental Assistance Program
7
State of Illinois Office of the Illinois Courts. Court-Based Rental Assistance Program – What Does This Mean for Your Court
8
State of Illinois Office of the Illinois Courts. Eviction Standardized Forms
9
Illinois Department of Human Services. Homeless Prevention Program
10
Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. LIHEAP Flyer 2025-26