Keeping Families in their Homes
Treasury’s Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) programs have collectively provided communities over $46 billion to support housing stability for eligible renters throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Participating governments have leveraged ERA funding to make over 10 million assistance payments to renters facing eviction, and research has shown that ERA assistance has supported low-income renters and renters of color. Combined with other Administration initiatives, Treasury’s ERA programs have helped to prevent millions of evictions since the onset of the pandemic.
Two separate ERA programs have been established: the ERA1 program was authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 and provided $25 billion to assist eligible households with financial assistance and housing stability services. The ERA2 program was authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and provides $21.55 billion to assist eligible households with financial assistance, provide housing stability services, and as applicable, to cover the costs for other affordable rental housing and eviction prevention activities. Financial assistance can include the payment of rent, rental arrears, utilities and home energy costs, utilities and home energy costs arrears, and certain other expenses related to housing. ERA funds are provided directly to states, U.S. territories, certain local governments1, and in the case of ERA1, Indian Tribes or their Tribally Designated Housing Entities and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.
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Highlighted Program Resources
Treasury offers a variety of guidance and resources to support successful ERA program implementation and increase program transparency such as:
- Policy Guides: Program Guidance, FAQs, Reporting, & Award terms
- Resources for Enhancing Program Effectiveness: ERA Research and Evaluation, Program & service design & Promising Practices
Recent updates
April 2025
- Guidance: On April 11, 2025, Treasury updated the ERA2 Closeout Resource with clarifications on record retention and audit requirements, as well as links to the latest FAQs in the Appendix.
January 2025
- Report: January 17, 2025, Treasury released the ERA1 Report which provides an overview of how ERA1 has helped to assist renter households across the nation.
- Reporting: January 14, 2025, Treasury released ERA2 Cumulative Program Data: Q2 2021 – Q3 2024
December 2024
- Guidance: On December 11, 2024, Treasury published the ERA2 Closeout resource and the ERA2 Early Closeout Checklist.
- FAQs: On December 4, 2024, these FAQs were updated to provide grantees with additional details on their responsibilities related to improper payments.
November 2024
- Reporting: November 6, 2024, Treasury published a Checklist for Preparing and Submitting Template 7 (PHPDF) .
October 2024
- Reporting: October 21, 2024, Treasury released ERA2 Cumulative Program Data: Q2 2021 – Q2 2024.
September 2024
- Reporting: On September 13, 2024, Treasury published ERA2 Reporting Technical Assistance: Tables 1-5 & Housing Stability resource.
August 2024
- Guidance: On May 30, OMB published the Compliance Supplement. To view the relevant section on the Treasury website please see the 2024 ERA Compliance Supplement.
- Reporting: August 16, 2024, Treasury released ERA2 Cumulative Program Data: Q2 2021 – Q1 2024.
- Research: On August 9, Treasury updated the Research and Evaluation webpage with a working paper by economist from Treasury and the Federal Reserve Board that finds that “ERA was largely successful in reaching communities that were most likely to have the highest risk of eviction.”
May 2024
- Research: On May 24, 2024, Treasury launched a Research and Evaluation webpage that highlights how Treasury is researching the impact of economic recovery programs and how to apply lessons learned to future economic crises.
Press releases
October 2024
- October 2: Treasury has published The American Rescue Plan: Expanding Access to Housing featuring stories about how Treasury programs have helped families across the country access stable and affordable housing.
October 2023
- October 23: On October 23, Treasury released a report providing new evidence that the recovery from the economic harm of the COVID-19 pandemic was the most equitable recovery in recent history, supporting the housing stability of homeowners and renters alike. Building on these findings, the Biden-Harris Administration announced efforts to expand economic opportunity for communities of color and continue to close the racial wealth gap at the Annual Freedman’s Bank Forum.
- October 16: FACT SHEET: New Treasury Department Data Illustrates How American Rescue Plan Resources Are Expanding Access to Affordable Housing and Keeping Families in their Homes.
April 2023
- April 27: READOUT: Treasury Department Convenes Roundtable to Discuss the American Rescue Plan’s Historic Investments in Rental Assistance for AANHPI Communities
- April 13: Treasury Department Announces Over $520 Million to be Reallocated to Prevent Eviction
March 2023
1 In accordance with the ERA1 and ERA2 statutory requirements, only local governments with more than 200,000 residents are eligible to receive an ERA1 and ERA2 award from Treasury. See 15 U.S.C 9058a.(b)(1) and 15 U.S.C 9058c.(b)(1).