AHFC will accept new applications for Rent Relief beginning September 13, providing up to three months of assistance to eligible applicants who meet the federal requirements.

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“We must focus on: what is it about our community, and our housing structure, and our landlords, and our other systems that are keeping this person on the street.”

– Jennifer Jaeger, Community Services Director at the City of Rockford in Illinois

When Jaeger’s community focused on improving their homeless response system — the system in place to serve people experiencing homelessness and connect them with the resources and support they need to exit the system — to truly serve the people experiencing homelessness, they saw success. Rockford, Illinois, has measurably ended homelessness for veteran and chronic populations; now they’re working to end homelessness for all populations.

“Housing barriers are system barriers — they’re not people barriers. No one wants to sleep out in the street,” Jaeger said.

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The House and Senate are currently determining how to invest more than $330 billion in affordable housing as part of its $3.5 trillion infrastructure and economic recovery bill.

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Labor Day 2021 marked the end of federal unemployment relief for millions of workers and employers enacted at the onset of the pandemic and extended and expanded in December and March. By one estimate, seven million individuals lost all benefits on Labor Day, including gig workers, those who had worked for very small employers exempt from their state unemployment systems, and others who were receiving benefits that had been extended beyond their state’s limit. Another three million individuals reportedly will no longer see the extra $300 per week supplemental benefit provided as part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) in March.
Reimbursing employers – nonprofits and local governments that had opted out of their state unemployment systems prior to the pandemic – are now responsible for 100% of the costs of benefits paid to former employees; the federal subsidy of 75% of these costs expired on September 6. In August, the Biden Administration made clear states may use a portion of their ARPA Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds to provide unemployment relief to individuals and employers. See the National Council of Nonprofits’ special report on ARPA funds to learn more on how nonprofits can advocate for relief of their unemployment costs.