Cycle 6 New Application Period Begins May 1, 2023
Tamuning, Guam (April 26, 2023) – The Department of Administration’s (DOA) Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) Program helps keep thousands of families still facing challenges from the pandemic in their homes by providing financial assistance to those in need. Since launching in March 2021, the ERA Program has supported over 11,000 households with combined rental and utility relief benefits. The program has provided $29.5 million islandwide in rental aid to help families avoid homelessness due to pandemic-related financial hardship, giving many the assurance of housing stability.
“The ERA Program, in combination with other Administration initiatives, has kept thousands of families in their homes and averted what many predicted would be a wave of evictions during the pandemic,” said Governor Lou Leon Guerrero. “Today’s announcement reflects a concerted effort to sustain the programs that have demonstrated particular success in deploying rental assistance to families facing urgent need.”
ERA’s Cycle 6 new application period begins Monday, May 1, 2023. The program temporarily paused accepting new applications under Cycle 5 on March 1, 2023, to review over 2,300 new applications received since October 24, 2022, and process 216 active Continuance of Assistance applications. Combined rent, rent arrears, utility, and utility arrears assistance is available for a maximum of 18 months for the period of March 13, 2020, to present. Applicants who have not exhausted their 18 months of assistance may be eligible for Continuance of Assistance. ERA urges those who need support or continued assistance to apply beginning May 1, 2023.
“Thanks to the strong local implementation of these federal programs, our administration has supported islandwide housing stability for over three years,” said Lt. Governor Josh Tenorio. “We will continue to provide housing assistance as we invest in building the affordable housing inventory our families need.”
ERA’s Cycle 5 introduced the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Fair Market Rent (FMR) guidelines for Guam per guidance from the U.S. Department of Treasury. These guidelines permit the program to pay up to the FMR when documentation supporting actual rent paid is not available. The HUD FMR information, eligibility criteria, and online applications are available online at doa.guam.gov. Hard copy applications may be picked up and submitted with supporting documents at the Emergency Rental Assistance Office on the 2nd floor (Suite 219) of the ITC building in Tamuning, or at the Government of Guam Relief Center on the 3rd floor of the Bank of Hawaii building in Hagåtña.
For more information, contact the Government of Guam Relief Center at 671-475-2060 or the ERA office at 671-638-4518/4519, or email ERA@doa.guam.gov.
###