A hazy sunrise over Denver, seen from Red Rocks. July 27, 2024.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Denverites struggling to make rent can apply for statewide rental assistance, which reopened Monday.
The application window runs through Wednesday at 5 p.m.
Money for rental assistance has been a key issue over the past few years.
City Council secured an extra $13.5 million in the city budget for rental assistance last year. It’s a lower number than some experts say the city needs to stave off evictions, but a win for advocates trying to prevent more people from landing on the streets.
Eviction levels are already high in Denver this year and could break records by the end of 2024.
But the state also has money for residents across Colorado who need help with rent.
Who is eligible for statewide rental assistance?
Applicants need to be residents of Colorado, hold a valid lease within the state, and cannot have received previous rental assistance within the past 12 months.
Rental assistance is reserved for people making less than 80 percent of the area median income in an applicant’s area of the state. (In Denver, 80 percent of the area median income is $71,900 for a single person and $102,650 for a family of four.)
Assistance is reserved for households at risk of eviction, including those who are falling behind on rent payments, receiving a formal demand for rent or eviction notice from a landlord, or undergoing eviction proceedings.
Applicants also must have undergone a life event preventing their ability to pay rent, such as health issues, loss of income, domestic abuse or unexpected expenses.
“Those facing eviction will continue to be prioritized,” wrote Chynna Coward, spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Local Affairs.
Anyone who applies for rental assistance before Wednesday will be entered into a randomized selection process.
The state will choose residents at random, who will then be allowed to submit a full application.
Renters who do receive rental assistance can get seven months of rent or $10,000, whichever is less.
Residents can submit pre-applications to the state online.
Denverites who meet certain income limits and have received court summons, eviction notices or utility disconnection notices, or those who are moving into new housing within the next two weeks, can also apply online for the city’s rental and utility assistance program.
