The City of Philadelphia and Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation (PHDC) today announced the closure of Phase 4 of the Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
The program assisted more than 38,000 households with rent and utility payments and disbursed more than $248 million since May of 2020.
The program will officially close on January 7 at 5:00 pm.
About 50,000 applications in the system are still pending, but the money will run out long before most of those applicants can be helped.
Meanwhile, the City’s Eviction Diversion program will continue under a new process. Landlords are required to apply directly to the Eviction Diversion portal and mediations will be set up for tenants who want to negotiate with their landlord.
But Hapco Philadelphia Attorney Paul Cohen says a new law took effect this year that reduces the waiting period before landlords can apply for eviction. Landlords can now file for eviction 30 days after filing for diversion if rental assistance is no longer available.