Eviction moratorium to end August 31, but Pritzker pushes assistance for struggling tenants

Bungalows in Berwyn last year. | Brian Ernst/Sun-Times file

Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday pushed the end of Illinois’ pandemic-induced eviction moratorium to the final day of August and threw a spotlight on a state rental assistance program for tenants struggling to make payments.

The governor’s office said Pritzker will issue an executive order on July 23 to allow for eviction filings to begin Aug. 1 — but enforcing the orders will be barred until Aug. 31.

Those announcements came along with a push for struggling renters to seek help from the state through its Illinois Rental Payment Program and apply for a piece of the roughly $500 million in existing federal funds for rental assistance.

If approved, grants will cover rents owed from July 2020 through June 2021. Renters may also be eligible to receive assistance for July, August and September of 2021, according to the application for tenants through the state’s housing authority. The maximum grant amount is $25,000.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks in the Pullman neighborhood in October.

The funds are from a federal appropriations bill that passed in December that included $900 billion in stimulus relief for the COVID-19 pandemic — $25 billion of it earmarked for rental assistance programs at the state and local levels.

An additional round of assistance will open this fall, according to the governor’s office.

“These resources have made a life-changing difference for these families, as the eviction moratorium comes to a close, we want to make sure that every eligible Illinoisan applies for this help,” Pritzker said in a statement.

“This year, Illinois quadrupled the relief that was available last year and were there for our residents when it mattered most. I’m pleased that we’ll be offering additional rounds of this critical funding to keep people in their homes.”