Update: The morning applications opened, hundreds of people lined up to get a limited number of appointments. When a Street Sense reporter visited the ERAP website, they waited 45 minutes to be let in. The website provided a phone number, which several people reported was down throughout the morning.
D.C.’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) reopened today after being closed for over a year, but those seeking help will encounter a new application process.
ERAP will transition from an online portal-based application system to an appointment-based system when applications reopen on Nov. 20 at 9 a.m. Eligible D.C. residents will now be required to schedule an appointment to apply for the aid, a change the city hopes will allow the program to remain open for a longer period of time.
In an email to Street Sense, a DHS spokesperson wrote, “the change is designed to increase transparency, improve the eligibility and payment processing timeline, and provide applicants with up-to-date information on funding availability.”
ERAP, a program run by the D.C. Department of Human Services (DHS), provides funding for overdue rent, security deposits, and first month’s rent to District residents who earn less than 40% of the Area Median Income (AMI) and are facing an unforeseen housing emergency.
District residents have shown a high level of need for ERAP, even though the city has reduced its funding. When applications opened last year, on Nov. 20, 2024, D.C. residents applied for over $20 million in rental assistance in under six hours. This triggered the portal to close for the rest of fiscal year 2025.
Despite the apparent need, in 2024, Mayor Muriel Bowser asserted the program was no longer reliably helping people with low incomes facing housing emergencies. Over the past few years, her proposed budget has continually allocated little funding to ERAP. In fiscal year 2025, she allocated $8.6 million, but the D.C. Council ultimately approved $26.9 million. This year, she proposed an 80% cut to the program, giving it $5 million. The council increased funding to $8.6 million, the lowest since 2020.
Following ERAP’s $18.3 million in funding cuts, DHS decided to modify the program’s operations. Instead of being able to apply on their own, people will now have to make an appointment to confirm their eligibility. At this time, DHS has not said how far into the future it will schedule appointments or whether applicants will have a virtual option for appointments.
At her confirmation hearing last month, Interim DHS Director Rachel Pierre stated this new system will help assure ERAP is used solely for preventing homelessness in emergency situations, not to cover a backlog of missed rent. Pierre mentioned that this is one of many programs DHS uses to support District residents, with others being the Family Rehousing Stabilization Program, Permanent Supportive Housing, and Targeted Affordable Housing.
This is just one in a string of recent changes to ERAP. In fiscal year 2025, which ran from Oct. 1, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2025, the application only opened once. In previous years, the application would open every three months, giving residents multiple chances to apply.
Then in April of this year, the D.C. Council voted to allow tenants to be evicted even if they had a pending ERAP application to cover missed rent. Councilmembers asserted people were applying to ERAP just to avoid eviction, and left it to a judge’s discretion whether a tenant can be evicted while their ERAP application is pending.
Looking to apply for ERAP?
If you want to apply for ERAP, you will need to schedule an appointment to apply by calling 202-507-6666 or visiting the Virginia Williams Family Resource Center. Your application will be processed at the time of your appointment.
To apply for emergency funding, you will need proof of residency, a photo ID, proof of income, proof of resources or benefits, and proof of an emergency, such as job loss, unexpected costs like medical expenses, or an unexpected loss in income. To apply for help with your first month’s rent or a security deposit, you will need proof of your rental agreement and documentation of your need for assistance. More details about these documents can be found at https://erap.dhs.dc.gov/ERAPShutdown.aspx. According to DHS, the agency may pause appointment scheduling to process applications and will only schedule appointments if it has available funding.
This article originally appeared in Street Sense’s Nov. 19, 2025 edition. It was updated to include information about the complications around the portal opening on Nov. 20.
