Chester County Emergency Rent & Utility Assistance Program 

rental assistance

DCD hosted a webinar for the Chester County Emergency Rental and Utility Assistance Program on Friday, April 16, 2021 at 11:30 a.m. View the presentation slides or stream video of the meeting.

The Emergency Utility and Rental Assistance program serves Chester County residents and can only be accessed by dialing 2-1-1 and selecting the prompt for "Housing Crisis." 

  • Experiencing Homelessness? Need rental assistance? Call 2-1-1. Tarde con el pago de la renta? Enfrentando un desalojo? Llame al 2-1-1. Follow these steps to apply for the Emergency Utility and Rental Assistance program. 
    • Call 211
    • For Homelessness Resources press 2
      • For assistance and resources in Chester County press 2
        • For Homeless Resources press 1
        • For Emergency Rent and Utility Assistance press 2
    • To check on a previous application
      • Call 211
        • For Homelessness Resources press 2
          • For Chester County press 2
          • For Status Update press 3
      • It can take up to 30 days to be contacted by an ERAP agency once your application is submitted. Wait on the line if you have a shut off notice or court ordered eviction notice. 

Funding will serve individuals and families that are obligated to pay rent and meet the following three criteria:

  1. Qualify for unemployment or have experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced a financial hardship, directly or indirectly, during COVID-19.
  2. Demonstrate a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability.
  3. Have a household income at or below 80 percent of the area median(Income limits are subject to change per guidance from the federal government).
    • Family of 1 = $59,050
    • Family of 4 = $84,300

Priority of service shall be prioritized to eligible applicants, including:

  • Households with individual(s) that have been unemployed for the 90 days prior to application for assistance and households with income at or below 50 percent of the area median.
  • Households with housing- and utility-related arrears that could result in imminent eviction or utility shut-off.

Program Resources