Rent assistance in Indianapolis now runs primarily through the nine Marion County township trustees, with utility programs, Housing Choice Vouchers, and community referrals filling gaps around them. The large federal emergency rental assistance programs that operated during and after the pandemic have closed, so the year-round local safety net matters more than it did a few years ago. If you’re already facing an eviction filing, the courts run a diversion program that can pause the case and connect you with help.
Start With Your Township Trustee
Township trustees are the most accessible source of direct rent help in Marion County. Indiana law makes each trustee the administrator of township assistance and requires the office to help residents who cannot cover basic necessities, including shelter.1Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 12-20-5-1 – Powers and Duties Assistance can also cover food, clothing, medical care, and transportation to seek employment.2State Board of Accounts. Township Assistance
Each office sets its own eligibility standards, reviewed annually against the local cost of living.2State Board of Accounts. Township Assistance The dollar amount available and the income cutoffs differ by township. Center Township, which covers most of downtown, handles the largest volume. To find your trustee, use the Township Trustees page on indy.gov or call the office directly during business hours.
Trustee help is emergency relief, not an ongoing subsidy. You’ll need to show that your own efforts to cover rent came up short. Expect questions about income, expenses, and what you’ve already tried. Many trustee offices still require an in-person visit with paper forms, so call first to confirm what to bring and whether you need an appointment.
IndyRent and IERA Are Closed
If you’ve seen references to IndyRent or the Indiana Emergency Rental Assistance Program (IERA1 and IERA2), those programs stopped accepting applications in April 2025 when federal funding ran out. Residents who received payments through them do not have to repay anything. Before spending time on any “emergency rental assistance” flyer or website you come across, check the date and confirm the program is still open.
Utility Help Frees Up Rent Money
Utility bills compete with rent for the same paycheck. Bringing down what you owe on gas, electric, and water often keeps housing stable on its own.
Energy Assistance Program
Indiana’s Energy Assistance Program, funded through the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, helps eligible households with heating and cooling bills. Household income must fall at or below 60% of the state median based on the most recent three months of earnings; for a family of four, that three-month threshold is $16,133. Applications typically open in the fall and close the following spring. You’ll need proof of income, current utility bills, and a lease or tenant verification statement.3Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority. Energy Assistance Program
Citizens Energy Group Programs
Customers of Citizens Energy Group who are approved for EAP automatically get a 10–25% discount on their gas bill through the heating season and a monthly credit of $6–$15 on wastewater bills through the Low-Income Customer Assistance Program.4AES Indiana. Central Indiana Utility Financial Assistance Citizens also runs the Warm Heart Warm Home Foundation, which grants help to customers who don’t qualify for EAP. Call (317) 927-4311 to ask about either.
Winter Disconnection Protection
Between December 1 and March 15, Indiana law bars electric and natural gas utilities from disconnecting service if you’ve applied for EAP or been approved for funds.5Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor. Winter Disconnection Moratorium FAQ The protection isn’t automatic. You have to give your utility written proof that you submitted an EAP application. Past-due balances still build up during the moratorium, so use the window to arrange a payment plan, not to ignore the bill.
Housing Choice Vouchers
The Indianapolis Housing Agency runs the Housing Choice Voucher program, commonly called Section 8, which subsidizes rent in the private market for qualifying low-income families. Voucher holders pay no more than 30% of their monthly adjusted income toward rent and utilities, and the voucher covers the rest up to a fair market rent limit.6Indianapolis Housing Agency. Housing Choice Voucher Program
Demand consistently outstrips supply. The waiting list opens only periodically, and when it does the window is short. Check indyhousing.org for current status. Vouchers won’t reach you fast enough to stop an eviction already in motion, so treat this as a longer-term option to pursue alongside the immediate help above.
Where to Call When You Don’t Know Where to Start
Indiana 211 connects callers to local services for housing, food, utilities, and more. Dial 2-1-1 or call 1-866-211-9966 anytime, or text your zip code to 898-211 during business hours. It’s free and confidential, and the operators can steer you to whichever program fits.
Community Action of Greater Indianapolis works on longer-term stability through case management, financial literacy, and its own affordable housing initiatives, including rental assistance.7Community Action of Greater Indianapolis. Community Action of Greater Indianapolis A CAGI case manager can help you apply to several programs at once instead of doing each in isolation.
The Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention publishes the Handbook of Help, a guide to housing, food, legal aid, and family services in Marion County. The 2026 edition is available in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole at chipindy.org.
Who Qualifies
Most Indianapolis rent programs tie eligibility to a percentage of Area Median Income as set by HUD. For the Indianapolis-Carmel metro area, the FY2025 income limits for a family of four are:8U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. FY2025 Adjusted HOME Income Limits
- Extremely low income (30% AMI): $33,200 per year
- Very low income (50% AMI): $55,350 per year
- Low income (80% AMI): $88,550 per year
The numbers shift with household size. A single person qualifies as low income at $62,000; an eight-person household qualifies at $116,900.8U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. FY2025 Adjusted HOME Income Limits Homelessness prevention grants often focus on households at or below the 30% mark. Township trustees set their own standards, which may or may not track these HUD categories.
Beyond income, most programs want to see a specific hardship connected to your inability to pay: a lost job, cut hours, an unexpected medical bill. Administrators are looking for evidence that one-time help will actually resolve the crisis rather than push it one month down the road.
What to Gather Before You Apply
The paperwork overlaps across programs. Pulling it together once saves real time. Plan to have:
- Government-issued photo ID for the primary applicant
- Your current signed lease, showing your name, the property address, and the monthly rent
- Income verification for the most recent 30 days: pay stubs, benefit statements, or a recent tax return if you’re self-employed
- Landlord contact information (name, phone, email) and a signed W-9, which programs that pay landlords directly need for tax reporting
- A written breakdown of what you owe, separating past-due rent from late fees by month
Double-check the landlord’s email before submitting anything. Most programs contact the landlord to confirm the debt and coordinate payment, and a typo will stall the whole file. If your landlord refuses to participate, some programs can’t proceed at all. A candid conversation before you apply is often worth the awkwardness.
After You Apply
Processing times run from about two weeks at smaller offices to more than a month at programs with heavy demand. If a case manager reaches out for missing documents, respond fast; a delayed reply pushes your file to the back of the line. Approved payments almost always go directly to the landlord or utility, not to you. Once payment goes out, confirm with your landlord that the account reflects the correct balance.
If a Township Trustee Denies Your Application
The trustee has to send you a written denial notice explaining the decision and your right to appeal. You have 15 days from that notice to file an appeal with the Marion County Board of Commissioners, in writing or orally depending on the board’s requirements. The board must hold a hearing within 10 working days and notify you of the decision within five working days after the hearing.9State Board of Accounts. Township Manual Chapter 7
If the trustee proposes reducing or ending benefits you already receive, you can request a hearing within 10 days, and your existing assistance continues while the appeal is pending. Mark the 15-day appeal deadline the day the denial arrives.
Already Facing Eviction
An eviction notice in Indiana typically gives you 10 days to pay the overdue rent or cure the lease violation. Paying in full inside that window stops the process. If you can’t pay in 10 days, the case moves to court, and legal help becomes the priority.
Call the Tenant Information Hotline at (317) 327-2228 first. The City of Indianapolis partners with Indiana Legal Services through this hotline to refer tenants facing eviction, unsafe conditions, or lockouts.10IndyKnowledge. Indiana Legal Services Tenant Assistance Project Referral Indiana Legal Services is a nonprofit law firm providing free civil representation to eligible low-income residents, including in eviction cases.11Indiana Legal Services. Indiana Legal Services Having a lawyer often produces more time, a negotiated result, or avoidance of a judgment that follows you on future rental applications, even when the outcome is a move-out.
The Court Eviction Diversion Program
Marion County courts take part in the Indiana Supreme Court’s Pre-Eviction Diversion Program. At the initial court date, the judge has to tell both sides about community resources and ask whether either wants to use them. If both agree, the case is stayed for 90 days, with check-ins at 30 and 60 days. During the stay, on-site navigators can help with rental assistance applications, and Indiana Legal Services attorneys may offer anything from brief advice to full representation.12Indiana Courts. Indiana Pre-Eviction Diversion Program Order
The strongest reason to participate: if the dispute resolves inside the 90 days, the case is dismissed and the court records are made confidential.12Indiana Courts. Indiana Pre-Eviction Diversion Program Order A confidential case doesn’t show up on Indiana’s public court records site, so background checks by future landlords won’t surface it. The court can lift the stay early if either party stops participating in good faith, so treat the 90 days as an active obligation.
Taxes on Rent Assistance
Emergency rental assistance paid on your behalf is not counted as income on your federal taxes and does not disqualify you from other federally funded benefit programs like SNAP or Medicaid.13U.S. Department of the Treasury. ERA-1 Program Statute Section 501 Receiving help won’t push you into a higher bracket or cost you eligibility for other programs.