Since March of 2020, many Illinois households have experienced serious health and economic impacts brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic including unemployment or underemployment, lost income due to children or elders needing care at home, unexpected medical bills, and more. These financial burdens forced many Illinois households to prioritize their spending to survive, leaving many unable to pay their full monthly housing costs.

Facing the possibility of an unprecedented wave of evictions during a public health crisis, the need for emergency rental assistance, eviction prevention measures, and other relief was clear and immediate. Governor JB Pritzker and the state of Illinois quickly launched a holistic response to those needs, utilizing the massive influx of federal dollars from Congress to launch one of the largest rental assistance programs in the country. Illinois stands proud as a model of good government in helping its residents endure the negative economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic by developing one of the largest and most expediently deployed rental assistance programs in the country. Since 2020, the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) has administered three rounds of emergency rental assistance that has provided nearly $1.02 billion in rental assistance to help 137,372 vulnerable households remain housed.