NYCHA Rental Arrears Assistance Programs 

HOME-ARP-eligible NYCHA households may receive payments for up to 6 months of unpaid rent owed since March 2020.

Subject to the availability of funds, NYCHA households are eligible for HOME-ARP if they meet the following criteria:

• Income: The household has an income less than or equal to 50 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI), as determined by the household’s most recent annual recertification. 
• Arrears (Past Due Rent): The household has past due rental arrears that have accrued on or since March 2020.  
• Current Annual Recertification: The household must be current* with their annual recertifications, meaning that they have completed an annual recertification within the last 12 months.  
  • *Note: NYCHA strongly encourages households who are not current with their annual recertification to update their annual recertification as soon as possible to be eligible for HOME-ARP funding. Residents who apply for HOME-ARP with an outdated annual recertification will be conditionally denied HOME-ARP assistance. After being conditionally denied, households will be given a brief period of time to submit updated annual recertification materials to be reconsidered for HOME-ARP assistance. 

CRA-eligible NYCHA households may receive payment for up to 12 months of unpaid rent owed from March 2020 through May 2023. 

Subject to the availability of funds, NYCHA households are eligible for CRA if they meet the following criteria: 

• Income: The household has an income less than or equal to 50 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI).  
• Arrears (Past Due Rent): The household has past due rental arrears that accrued between March 2020 and May 2023.  
• Annual Recertification Date: The household must have completed an annual recertification with NYCHA for any year beginning in 2020 or later. Households that apply for CRA with a pre-2020 annual recertification will be denied CRA assistance.
  • Note: NYCHA strongly encourages households with a pre-2020 annual recertification to update their annual recertification as soon as possible and prior to applying to be eligible for CRA funding. 

NYCHA will prioritize applicants who have not received* assistance from the New York State Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) who have submitted their application within the first 30 days of the application period. All other eligible households will be assisted on a rolling basis.  

*Note: Applicants who have not “received” ERAP assistance include (1) households that applied for ERAP and did not receive it and (2) households who did not apply for ERAP.

The instructions for filling out the Rental Arrears Assistance consent form are as follows: 

1. Log on to the Self-Service Portal at selfserve.nycha.info.
   
     
   
   
2. Click the “Apply for Rental Arrears Assistance” box.  
   
   
   
3. After reading the “Apply for Rental Arrears Assistance: CRA & HOME-ARP” form, check “I Confirm” at the bottom of the form, type full name, and click “Next.” Translations of the consent form are available in Spanish, Russian, and Chinese (Simplified and Traditional) at the bottom of the page.
   
   
   
   
4. A confirmation screen will appear indicating that the consent form has been received. Save a copy of the consent form by clicking “View Document” and then save or print the document. Click “Finish.” There are no additional steps to take after completing the consent form.  
   
   

If households need help completing the online consent form, they should contact their property management office. Property managers have been instructed to schedule an appointment with the heads of household so they can complete the consent process in the management office.

Not necessarily. Funds for the CRA and HOME-ARP programs are limited, and households should apply as soon as possible to increase their chances of receiving assistance.

To receive funds from the State and City to assist households with paying past due rent to NYCHA, and to assist with program administration, NYCHA will share certain information about the household, including household name, address, apartment number, telephone number, email address, nine-digit NYCHA account number, apartment size, current household income, date of birth, Social Security number, gender, race and ethnicity, amount of monthly rent, and amount of potentially eligible rental arrears.

NYCHA has identified potentially eligible households based on our data on household income and rental arrears. Those households deemed potentially eligible will be notified about the programs and will see the “Apply for Rental Arrears Assistance” box appear in their Self-Service Portal account. Households who do apply for CRA or HOME-ARP will also no longer see the “Apply for Rental Arrears Assistance” box in their Self-Service Portal account once they apply.

After completing the consent form, households will be directed to a confirmation page with the header “Document Received.” On this page, residents may view, save, and/or print their completed consent form by clicking "View Document." This will be the only time residents can access the completed consent form without assistance from Property Management, as the “Apply for Rental Arrears Assistance” tile will no longer be visible on the Self-Service Portal once this window is exited. After this time, residents may request a copy of their completed consent form by contacting Property Management. Residents may also email arrears.assistance@nycha.nyc.gov for confirmation of their submitted application.

NYCHA identified households potentially eligible for CRA and HOME-ARP based on current information on file such as income and past due rental arrears. NYCHA will update the list of potentially eligible households at regular intervals – if households become potentially eligible for the programs based on new circumstances, the “Apply for Rental Arrears Assistance” tile will appear in their Self-Service Portal account.

Households who applied for CRA and HOME-ARP by providing their consent to NYCHA will receive notice by mail informing them of whether or not they have been approved for rental arrears assistance under either or both programs, as well as information about the amount of assistance they will receive.

If you are approved for assistance, the funds will be credited directly to your household’s account to lower the amount of your past due rent owed to NYCHA, and this will be reflected in your rent bill.

Approved funds will go directly to NYCHA and will reduce the amount of past due rent that the household owes.

The CRA program will have an administrative appeals process. Information regarding the appeals process will be included as part of the notice households will receive informing them whether or not they have been approved for rental arrears assistance from the CRA program. The HOME-ARP program will not have an administrative appeals process.

No, NYCHA households are not eligible to receive prospective rent. You must continue to pay your rent.

Only Section 8 voucher holders residing in the following NYCHA developments may apply for NYCHA’s CRA and HOME-ARP rental arrears assistance programs:

• Amsterdam Addition
• Bay View
• Bushwick
• Castle Hill
• Chelsea
• Drew-Hamilton
• Manhattanville
• Marble Hill
• Marlboro
• Rutgers
• Saint Mary’s Park
• Stapleton

Yes. Federal law requires public housing households to file income certifications at least annually.

Yes. Households who are eligible for both programs may receive financial assistance under both programs. However, households will not be assisted twice for the same month.

Yes. It is possible that a household may receive assistance from one program but not the other. Assistance for each program will be determined based on program eligibility and availability of funds

Each household’s situation will be different. Households may be eligible for assistance for (1) up to 12 months of unpaid rent accrued from March 2020 to May 2023 from CRA and (2) up to 6 months of unpaid rent accrued on or after March 2020 from HOME-ARP. Households eligible for both programs may receive up to 18 months of assistance total.

HOME-ARP: Yes, households who received assistance from ERAP are eligible for HOME-ARP.

CRA: Yes, households who received assistance from ERAP are eligible for CRA. However, households that did not receive ERAP who apply within the first 30 days will be prioritized first for CRA assistance.

No. A household that receives rental arrears assistance through the CRA or HOME-ARP programs will not be required by NYCHA to repay the assistance granted.

HOME-ARP: If you receive HOME-ARP assistance, then for a period of one year NYCHA will not bring a nonpayment eviction action against you for any remaining unpaid rent owed prior to the date you received the assistance. However, you are still responsible for paying your current rent and any remaining past due rent not covered by HOME-ARP. During the one-year period after receiving HOME-ARP assistance, NYCHA may still bring a nonpayment eviction action against you for rent that you do not pay after the date of assistance. Once the one-year period is over, NYCHA can resume any potential nonpayment eviction proceedings. It is important to continue making rent payments to avoid potential legal action.

CRA: The CRA program does not provide any eviction protections. NYCHA may bring a nonpayment eviction action for rent owed, including any outstanding balances, regardless of CRA assistance. It is important to continue making rent payments to avoid potential legal action.

At this time there is no additional money available to NYCHA for the payment of rental arrears once the funds from the current programs are exhausted.

Yes. You remain responsible for paying your current and future rent, as well as any past due rent not covered by CRA or HOME-ARP assistance.

There is no deadline to apply for CRA or HOME-ARP assistance at this time, and applications are being accepted on a rolling basis. Funding is limited, so households should apply as soon as possible to have the best chance of receiving assistance. The programs will end when funding is exhausted; there will be an announcement when it’s determined when the application period will close.

For additional questions regarding CRA and HOME-ARP, households should contact their property management office or email arrears.assistance@nycha.nyc.gov.

When emailing arrears.assistance@nycha.nyc.gov. residents should include the full name of the Head of Household, the apartment address (including apartment number), and the nine-digit account number.