Lackawanna County Emergency Rental Assistance Program
Lackawanna County Emergency Rental Assistance Program (LERAP) has allocated all of its available funding.
Applications currently in our system are not being processed at this time. Additionally, new or subsequent applications are not being accepted.
If you are in need of rental assistance, the following agencies may be able to help:
- United Neighborhood Centers
- https:
// www.uncnepa.org/ - 570-343-8835
- Catholic Social Services
- https:
// www.needhelppayingbills.com /html /lackawanna_and_luzerne_catholi.html - 570-207-2283
- Catherine McAuley Center
- https:
// www.catherinemcauleycenter .org/ - 570-342-1342
LERAP represents an extraordinary partnership among Lackawanna County, tenants and their landlords and utility providers, community partners, the eviction court system, and program manager Capital Access.
The U.S. Treasury and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania established the program to assist low-income renters during the Covid emergency. The funds also helped the applicants’ landlords and utility companies, large and small, weather the crisis. Here is how LERAP has helped the greater Lackawanna County Community as of December 29, 2022:
- 2,539 Grants provided.
- $4,845 The average grant, for 9.35 months of rent and/or utility assistance.
- 360 Grants helped households avoid a court-ordered eviction.
- $21,280 Average annual income for households receiving grants.
- 100% of grants (2,539) benefited households earning 80% or less of Area Median Income (AMI).
- 78.5% of grants (1,994) of all grants benefited households earning 50% or less of AMI.
- 54.4% of grants (1,192) benefited households earning 30% or less of AMI.
- 1,517 of all grants helped households with children remain in their homes.
We celebrate these accomplishments!

How To Apply
See the Application Process section below for an overview of the steps in the process.
Apply Online:
Application Process
1 REGISTRATION

- Click Tenant Registration link.
- Provide your name, email, address, and preferred language.
- Go to the link provided in the Step 1 confirmation email.
- Provide additional information to help expedite your registration submission.
- Provide your landlord and utility information.
2 FULL APPLICATION

- Go to your personal Applicant Portal link to access the Full Application
- Complete and submit your Full Application.
3 DOCUMENT UPLOADS

4 VERIFICATION REVIEW

- Respond to your Case Manager as soon as possible when you receive a call, text, or email to request clarification.
- Continue to review the status of your application through your Applicant Portal.
5 GRANT GENERATION

- Look for your ERA grant approval notice by email.
- Read your grant agreement for accuracy.
- Sign the grant agreement online.
6 PAYMENT

The Application Process has multiple parts:
- Registration. This is a two-step process. Step 1 is registering your information at the link above. You will then receive an email to complete Step 2. This step asks you to answer a few questions about your financial status to determine eligibility for the Program. You must complete both steps to proceed.
-
Once you have completed both Step 1 and Step 2 in the registration process a case manager
will review your
information.
- If you fail the Threshold Criteria, you will be notified by email with the reason.
- If it is determined that you pass the Threshold Criteria, you will get an email from us inviting you to submit the Full Application.
-
Once you are invited to apply, you will receive an email to submit your Full Application and
all required
documentation through your Portal.
Verification documentation could include:- Photo Identification
- Evidence of Income Loss
- Evidence of Past Due rent and/or utilities
- Lease
- When you have submitted your Full Application and complete set of verification documents, any grant for which you may be eligible will be calculated and paid quickly.
Threshold Criteria
- Rental property address is located in the County.
- Applicant household has suffered income loss and/or disruption during or due to Covid-19.
- Applicant household income is no more than 80% AMI for household size.
- Applicant household is at risk of homelessness or housing instability as documented with a past-due rent or utility notice, or an eviction notice.
Prioritization of Applications
- Household facing eviction in Lackawanna County court system, as evidenced by a court docket number;
- Re-housing;
- Household Income is 50% or less of Area Median Income (AMI);
- Household with at least 1 person unemployed who has an active claim with a state Office of Unemployment for at least the 90 days prior to date of Registration with this Program.
Priority 2: Application with Household Income greater than 50% AMI, and less than or equal to 80% AMI, and that meets none of the conditions for Priority 1.
As of July 25, 2022, applications begin processing in this order:
- Eviction
- Re-housing
- 1st-time application, Priority 1
- 1st-time application, Priority 2
- Subsequent Application, Priority 1
- Subsequent Application, Priority 2
Landlords
If any of your tenants are behind on rent payments, encourage them to apply for the LERAP. Register yourself and/or your company as a landlord to make their application process as smooth as possible.
There is no cap on the amount of LERAP rental assistance. The amount of the grant is calculated based on up to 12 months of past due rent and utility for renters who earn 80% of Area Median Income or below and experience disruption and/or income loss due to the COVID pandemic. In addition, many applicants will qualify for 3 months future rent based on their household income. We need your assistance to verify the lease terms and the amount of past due rent since April, 2020.
What to Expect:
Step 1: Registration. This enables our information system to link you with every applicant in your rental property and/or portfolio and set your own Landlord Portal. The Landlord Portal is where you can upload verification documents and payments forms so that we may expedite a direct payment to you on behalf of your tenants.
Step 2: Email with link to Landlord Portal. Once you are registered in the system, you will receive an email with a unique link to your personal Landlord/Property Management portal.
Step 3: Email with Request to Upload Landlord Affidavit and IRS Form W-9 for Payment. For each approved Tenant that completes their application, you will receive an email request to upload through your Portal the following documentation based on a specific Tenant.
- Landlord Affidavit where you can verify lease terms and provide an itemization of past due rent
- IRS W-9 Form
Please make sure to complete each step to receive payments. If you have more than one Tenant, you may receive multiple requests for documentation; however, you will only need to register once.
FAQs
Applicant
- One or more individuals within the household has qualified for unemployment benefits OR experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced other financial hardship during or due to the coronavirus pandemic; AND
- One or more individuals within the household can demonstrate a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability; AND
- The household is a low-income family.
Priority will be given to households with at least one person who has qualified for state unemployment benefits for at least the 90 days prior to the date of Registration in this program.
- A current Utility, Internet, Phone or other bill
- A current Bank Statement
- Current Vehicle Registration
If you have already been evicted, LERAP will not pay your former landlord. You may be eligible for assistance at your new rental address.
Households with income up to 80% of Area Median Income (AMI) are
eligible for ERA assistance.
The income of every person 18 years or older, who is not in high school
full time, is included in household income. Social Security or
Disability payments made to a household for a child are included as
income for the parent or guardian.
HUD INCOME LIMITS 2022 for Lackawanna County, PA
Household Size |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
Low Income (80% AMI) |
$41,550 |
$47,450 |
$53,400 |
$59,300 |
$64,050 |
$68,800 |
$73,550 |
$78,300 |
Very Low Income (50% AMI)* |
$25,950 |
$29,650 |
$33,350 |
$37,050 |
$40,050 |
$43,000 |
$45,950 |
$48,950 |
Following U.S. Treasury guidance, if an applicant has not yet uploaded income documentation, your Case Manager Managers attempts to determine if your household is income-eligible based on the census tract in which the household lives. If census data is not available, the Case Manager requests that the applicant submit income verification documents so we may calculate income eligibility for the program. These documents include:
- A 2020 IRS 1040 tax return is the most efficient document for income eligibility; (use of 2021 tax returns is not permitted by U.S. Treasury);
- Eligibility determination notice for one of the following Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) programs with a determination date of January 01, 2020 or later:
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP),
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF),
- Medicaid or Medical Assistance (MA) or
- Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
- Documentation for all household income for the past 30 days, including pay stubs, benefit statements, unemployment statements, alimony, etc.
We welcome and encourage property managers to help applicants obtain and upload income and related verification documents.
- PPL (PPL Electric Utilities)
- PAW (Pennsylvania American Water)
- UGI Utilities
- Blakely Electric
- Olyphant Electric
You may also consider applying to the LIHEAP Program for your utility needs.
Cable, Internet, cell phone and other telecommunications are not eligible for assistance from this Program.
For assistance with the cost of your Internet service, the Federal Communications Commission's “Affordable Connectivity Program” may be an option - https://www.fcc.gov/acp
There is not dollar limit on the size of the grant award. A maximum of eighteen (18) total months of assistance may be provided, including up to 3 months of future rent and utilities and funding already received from LERAP, subject to program guidelines.
Past-due rent and utilities may go as far back as April 1, 2020.
It does not matter if a month of LERAP assistance is for rent only, utility only, or rent and utility -- it counts as one month toward the total assistance limit.
Eligible assistance includes:
- Security deposit OR last month rent, not to exceed one month rent
- Pro-rated rent for the move-in month
- Three months future rent
- Utility deposit if required by the utility to establish an account
There is no dollar limit on the size of the grant award. A maximum of eighteen (18) total months of assistance may be provided, including up to 3 months of future rent and utilities and funding already received from LERAP, subject to program guidelines.
Even though there is no specific cap on the amount of rental assistance, our staff is directed to do anti-fraud, waste and abuse analysis which includes:
- Require submission of a signed and current lease that is compared to a Landlord Affidavit for consistency.
- Rental Housing to Income ratio affordability analysis. If the rent far exceeds what a low-income tenant could reasonably afford, we reserve the option to conduct a deeper investigation into affordability and legitimacy of the rent charged.
- Reviewing public ownership records.
- Requesting additional documentation from the applicant and/or landlord.
If you still cannot locate the email, you may also call 272-225-5577 to do an Assisted Intake over the phone.
- If you registered using an email address of a family member or friend and you want to change it, you must re-register.
- If you registered using the wrong address, please inform your Case Manager.
Your patience is requested as we have received a significant number of applications. Our Case Managers are working diligently to assist all Registered applicants. As soon as your Registration passes Threshold Review, you will receive an email inviting you to submit your Full Application and your verification documents, and a link to get started.
Once you submit your Full Application your Case Manager will reach out to you to ask if you have questions or need assistance with uploading your verification documents.
When we invite you to submit your Full Application, we also reach out directly to your landlord for payment processing and other required documents.
- You can work with the Landlord to sign a lease amendment to include only the individual(s) still responsible for paying the rent, and provide that amendment document to LERAP.
-
We will pro-rate the rent and utilities amount.
For example, if you and two others are listed as lessees, and the two others have vacated, then LERAP will pay for one-third (1/3) of the rent and utilities.
If you and two others are listed as lessees, and one of the others has vacated, and the other lessee is participating in the program, LERAP will pay for two-thirds of the rent and utilities.
If you cannot locate the email please attempt to re-register using the same email address. The system will not allow you to apply twice but it will generate and automatic email message with the link to your Application Portal.
Please note: Landlords may not appeal decisions.
The appeal form includes:
- Date of Appeal
- LERAP Application ID#
- Email Address
- Name
- Mailing Address
- The LERAP decision they are appealing
- Date of the LERAP decision
- A complete and concise reason for the appeal
- Documentation to support their claim, if any.
Program guidance from the U.S. Department of Treasury or the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania may not be appealed. Landlords may not appeal a LERAP decision.
For questions about the appeal form, please contact your Case Manager. After your appeal has been filed, your Case Manager has no additional information about your appeal.
Submit your appeal to:
- erapappeal@lackawannacounty.org
Lackawanna County will provide the applicant with a written decision within 60 days of receipt of the appeal.
Second Appeal:
Decisions on appeals by the County may be further appealed to the
Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas under 2 Pa. C.S. § 752.
- The amount of past-due rent, less any rental benefit previously received for the months requested. plus
- The amount of past-due utilities, less any utility benefit previously received for the months requested.
Landlord/Property Manager
Registration with the LERAP does not bind the landlords to the program. It does make filling out the Registration easier for your tenants who apply. If you choose not to participate with the program the tenant will receive any approved rent assistance.
There is not dollar limit on the size of the grant award. A maximum of eighteen (18) total months of assistance may be provided, including up to 3 months of future rent and utilities and funding already received from LERAP, subject to program guidelines.
Even though there is no specific cap on the amount of rental assistance, our staff is directed to do anti-fraud, waste and abuse analysis which includes:
- Require submission of a signed and current lease that is compared to the required Landlord Affidavit for consistency.
- Rental Housing to Income ratio affordability analysis. If the rent far exceeds what a low-income tenant could reasonably afford, we reserve the option to conduct a deeper investigation into affordability and legitimacy of the rent charged.
- Reviewing public ownership records.
- Requesting additional documentation from the applicant and/or landlord.
- Landlord Affidavit
- W-9
- Confirm terms and conditions of the lease for the particular tenant.
- Specify past due rent month by month.
- Specify which utilities, if any, are included in rent.
- Commit to cooperate with assisting the tenant to obtain and provide verification documents to expedite processing.
- Commit not proceed with any evictions through the last month of rent assisted with LERAP grant funds.
- Commit to apply the LERAP grant funds received on behalf of the tenant towards specific months as stated in the Landlord Affidavit.
