If you are in eviction court, you might be able to get help paying your rent through the Court-Based Rental Assistance Program (CBRAP).

You can apply for CBRAP at Illinois Housing Help.  

Who is eligible to receive assistance from the CBRAP?

You may be eligible to receive CBRAP assistance if you:

• Are facing a court eviction proceeding and can provide eviction court documentation,  
• Your household is behind on rent or is at risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability,
• Live in Illinois but not in Suburban Cook County,*
• Have total income under 80% of the Area Median Income (adjusted for household size), and
• Have experienced financial hardship because of Covid. This includes a loss of income or increased expenses.
• Proof of citizenship is not required. Rental assistance is not a “public charge” benefit.

*In Cook County, CBRAP is only available to people who live within the City of Chicago. Suburban Cook County residents may be able to receive court-based rental assistance by calling the Cook County Legal Aid for Housing and Debt (CCLAHD) hotline at 855-956-5763 or by visiting the CCLAHD website.   

How does it work?

The CBRAP application is a joint application between the tenant and landlord. Both you and your landlord can complete the online application at Illinois Housing Help. You will need access to your email to complete the application process.

When complete, your application will be paired with your landlord's application and reviewed for eligibility. If an applicant has not yet completed their application, they will receive a notice by email inviting them to apply. Applicants can check and see if a corresponding application has been completed by logging into their CBRAP account and viewing their status on the application dashboard. 

The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) will let you and your landlord know whether the application was approved. If it was, then your landlord will receive payment. If your landlord chooses not to complete their application, tenants may still be able to receive CBRAP assistance directly through a special review process. 

Start an application online.

How much assistance can I get?

If approved, you may qualify for up to $25,000 in emergency rental payments. This can include up to 18 months of past-due rent and 3 months of future rent payments to prevent eviction. This includes up to $500 in court costs. This assistance is only for court costs and not attorney fees. The $500 will be included in the cap and is only payable to the Housing Provider.

Can I still get assistance if my landlord refuses to participate? 

If your landlord or housing provider is unresponsive or does not wish to participate, you may still be able to receive up to 3 months of future rent payments so you can move into a new home. This is called Tenant Direct Payments. 

You may qualify for tenant direct payments if:

• You qualify for CBRAP and, 
• Your landlord is unresponsive, refused the CBRAP assistance, or did not complete their part of application; OR
• You landlord accepted CBRAP assistance for past-due rent and agreed to vacate the eviction, but does not want to continue renting to you or accept the future rent payments. 

You will also need to:

• Find a new place within 90 days of getting your pre-approval letter;
• Sign a lease (or complete a lease attestation) with a new landlord for a period of at least 6 months; and 
• Upload the documents to the CBRAP Application portal. 

Need help? 

See this toolkit for more information about CBRAP.

If you have already applied, you can check the status of your CBRAP application here. 

Call the Illinois Housing Development Authority at (866) 454-3571 for additional support.