Before You Apply
Applying does not guarantee approval. Programs have eligibility requirements, funding limitations, and documentation requirements.
Please review the information below before starting your application.
View all required documentation on our Universal Application page under Required Documents
Housing Assistance
You may not qualify
- If your hardship was expected or avoidable.
- If you had no income before the hardship occurred.
- If your primary income is from part-time, seasonal, temporary, contract, commission, on-call, or as-needed employment.
What Is a Hardship?
- A recent hardship is an unexpected serious and unavoidable difficulty that impacts the ability to meet financial expectations.
For these programs, the hardship must have occurred within the last 90 days.
How Do I Demonstrate My Hardship?
- You must provide formal documentation showing the hardship.
Example: An employer letter documenting a reduction in work hours through no fault of one’s own, along with recent pay stubs showing reduced gross income.
If I am approved for assistance, how much assistance can I get help with?
Assistance is limited to one month per household, and eligible households may receive assistance only once during each program year (October 1–September 30).
Can I apply ahead of time before my rent, mortgage, or property tax is late?
No. Rent, mortgage, and property tax assistance is only available for past-due payments. Your payment must already be past due when you submit your application.
If applying for rent, why do I need to provide my lease?
Your lease confirms:
- Household members
- Property address
- Who is legally responsible for the lease
Adults who are not listed on the lease cannot be counted as members of the household for this program.
What is a rent ledger?
- A rent ledger is a payment history from your landlord or property management company showing rent charges and payments. You'll need to request this from your landlord or property manager.
Utility Assistance
What is a 12-month billing history?
- This document shows your service usage and payment history for the past year. Note: if service is newer, it may not show a full 12 months or more – this is ok.
- You must get this document by contacting your utility provider, NOT from the utility provider app or on an excel file sheet.
Example of a billing history from NES:
Example of a billing history from Piedmont:
Who Qualifies for the Homeless Deposit Assistance
- Applicants with proven documentation that they do not reside in a household of any kind.
- Eligible applicants were in a shelter and/or unhoused.
- Applicants must have documented 30 days’ worth of income or documentation from their approved housing that rent is $0/month.
How Is My Income Counted?
For all programs, the gross income (before taxes and deductions) is counted.
What Can Delay My Application?
- When all required documentation is not provided.
- When documentation is unclear, incomplete, or difficult to read.
- When uploaded documents or screenshots do not clearly identify what they are or how they support your application.
- For rent or mortgage: When applicant doesn’t provide the correct landlord or mortgage contact information (Name of property or private landlord, address, phone number, and a specific email address where documents should be sent).
- Note: Your landlord or mortgage company will need to complete some payment documentation, so all contact information is needed.
- For utility assistance: When the applicant does not enter the correct account number from their bill, this can delay the payment process.
- For utility assistance: When the applicant does not provide the correct billing history.
