The Department of Housing (DOH) has established a relief program to provide short-term operating support to multi-family affordable housing providers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the related economic downturn.

The ERAMP program includes both grants and no-interest, deferred payment loans of up to $75,000 per property, based on need.

The funds can cover: 

• Operating shortfalls for up to three months
• Added expenses related to infectious disease control and preventive cleaning

The purpose of the program is to preserve the availability of safe, clean and affordable housing options for individuals and families that may experience financial hardship resulting from COVID-19.

Eligibility

Eligible developments are projects comprised of multi-family buildings or scattered site buildings under common ownership with five or more units that are rented at a price that is affordable to households earning up to 60 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI) as defined by HUD.

DOH will prioritize assistance for projects that have existing permanent debt financing for affordable housing uses from the City of Chicago, such as HOME and CDBG funds. Both for-profit and non-profit development teams are eligible for ERAMP.

Recipients of ERAMP funds must execute a written agreement specifying the eligible owner will forego the right to pursue legal action or adverse credit reporting for non-payment of rent and the collection of any fees associated with late payments without the prior written approval of DOH. Eligible owners receiving funds may also be subject to an extension of the affordability period. 

Requests are considered on a per-development basis, and separate applications must be made for each development. DOH will award ERAMP funds to no more than two developments owned or controlled by the same developer.

How to Apply

Applicants seeking ERAMP assistance must complete the online application, the online economic disclosure document (EDS), and send the following attachments with the subject line “ERAMP Funding Application_ [Property Name]” in a single submission to HousingAM@cityofchicago.org with clearly-described file names.

• Organizational chart for eligible owner ownership structure (PDF)
• All recent compliance letters for City-funded affiliate developments (PDF)
• Documentation evidencing recent operating shortfalls in connection with the eligible development, such as:
  • The eligible owner's most-recent year-to-date financial statements for the eligible development
  • Certified project-level accounting records for the eligible development covering the most recent three months
  • Copies of project-level bank statements for the eligible development covering the most recent three months
• Rent roll (PDF)
• Completed EDS (PDF)
• Completed Principal Profile Form (PDF)

Failure to follow these instructions may result in processing delays. For more information, review the ERAMP Program Rules and Regulations.

Contact Information

Questions should be directed to the DOH asset management team at HousingAM@cityofchicago.org.