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Two-flat homes in the 8000 south block of Morgan Street in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood on May 11, 2021. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago

CHICAGO — The state is offering grants of up to $25,000 for Illinoisans who need help with rent.

Up to 15 months of rental assistance will be offered, and the grants will not need to be repaid. The program is open to renters who have lost income due to the coronavirus pandemic and are at risk of losing their home.

Landlords must start the application process, and then tenants can file for the program. Applications are open now and can be filled out online. The deadline to apply is June 7.

To be eligible, a person must be a tenant in Illinois, have lost income or seen increased due to COVID-19, be behind in rent and have a household income under 80 percent of the area median income. A person’s immigration status does not matter.

Priority will be given to households with incomes of less than 50 percent of the area median income and households where one or more person has been unemployed for at least 90 days.

If a household is approved for the grants, the money will be sent directly to their landlord or housing provider. The money can be used to cover up to 12 months of back rent, going back to June 2020, as well as an additional three months for the future.

Gov. JB Pritzker announced the program Monday morning — and said officials will work to bring an end to the eviction moratorium in August with a “gradual phase-out over the next few months.” More details on that will come, Pritzker said.

The eviction moratorium made it so landlords could not evict tenants who were struggling due to the pandemic.

Mortgage relief for homeowners will be announced soon, as well, Pritzker said.

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