Jefferson County will resume taking applications for its COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP)on April 4 via its web portal at https://erap.jccal.org/.The program was temporarily paused last year to allow the County and its partners to catch up on a backlog of cases that needed to be worked.   

Funded by the U.S. Treasury, the Emergency Rental Assistance Program was designed to provide short-term help with rent and utilities to lower-income renters experiencing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

To qualify, citizens must demonstrate that they are:

•  Residents of Jefferson County, outside of the Birmingham city limits,
•  Have a household income at or below 80% of the area median income,
• And, be experiencing housing instability, and document financial hardship.

To date, the program has successfully assisted over 3500 households and disbursed over $30 million in assistance for rent, utilities, and other housing related costs on behalf of Jefferson County residents.

“The County is proud of the support it has provided to its citizens and will continue to work with program partners Bridge Ministries and Salvation Army to ensure these funds support people to stay in their homes,” said Deputy County Manager Daren Lanier.

 Applications will be processed on a first come, first served basis until funds are fully expended.