Westmoreland County ERAP
What is the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP)?
On January 5, 2021, the U.S. Department of the Treasury launched the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP). The ERAP program is designed to assist households that are unable to pay rent and utilities due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Under the County’s ERAP an “eligible household” is defined as a renter household that has a household income at or below 80 percent of the area median and in which at least one or more individuals living in the household:
qualifies for unemployment or has experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced a financial hardship due to COVID-19; and
can demonstrate a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability;
additional eligibility criteria will be added as the program is finalized.
Who qualifies for Westmoreland County Emergency Rental Assistance?
You can apply if you’re a renter living in a household with:
Unemployment
Risk of Homelessness
Median Income
Before You Apply
Gather the documents you’ll need to show income and residency. While it is possible to submit your application without uploading these documents, it may cause a delay in processing.
- Unemployment Determination Letter
- Lease Agreement
- Utility Bills
- W2 forms, paystubs or award letters
- Social security numbers for everyone in your household
How The Application Process Works
The application is only available online. You can access it here. If you can’t get online or need help filling it out, contact The Union Mission at 724-539-3550. If you have any questions, reach out to us via:
Email: erap@theunionmission.org
Phone: 724-539-3550, Ext. 210
You must create a username and password to get into the application. To do that, you’ll need an email account.
Don’t have one? Sign up for free at Google or Yahoo.
Write your username and password down somewhere only you can see it. You’ll need it if you want to come back to the application to add documents, change your contact information or check the status of your application.
After you submit your application, it will move through five steps:
- Application Review
- Tenant Outreach – Someone will contact you if more information is needed.
- Eligibility Determination – If you meet eligibility criteria, your application moves to the next step. If not, you will receive a written denial which you can appeal.
- Landlord Outreach
- Payment Processing
We’ll contact you about what happens next. The person who contacts you could be from The Union Mission or United Way. We’re all working together so please answer their phone call or respond to their email.