Was Your ERAP Application Denied?

In June 2023, SAJE and other tenant rights advocates have reached a settlement in our lawsuit
against the California Department of Housing & Community Development (HCD) over their
administration of the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) through Housing Is Key.

This settlement impacts tenants who applied for rent relief through Housing Is Key on or before
March 31, 2022, and who still have pending applications or were denied on or after June 7,
2022. It may also help some tenants who were denied prior to June 7, 2022.

This settlement does not apply to any local rental assistance programs run by a city or county. It
does not reopen the Housing Is Key program to new applications.

Under the settlement, the State has revised the denial notice so it provides more specific
information to tenants on the exact reason for the denial. The tenants who will receive new
denial notices are:

• Tenants who received a denial notice on or after June 7, 2022;
• Tenants who never received a denial notice;
• Tenants who submitted an appeal but have not received a decision on their appeal as of
  May 30, 2023.

The new denial notices will restart a new 30-day period to submit an appeal. The new denial
notices will also include information about how to contact an organization that can help
tenants with the appeal.

Tenants who are not sure of the date of their denial can call the Housing Is Key call center at
(833) 430-2122 to ask for their date of denial.

Tenants can check their status in the Housing Is Key application portal here: https://hornellp-
ca.neighborlysoftware.com/CaliforniaCovid19RentRelief/Participant.

To connect with a community organization that can provide application assistance, tenants
should call the Local Partner Network at (833) 687-0967.

For a detailed FAQ about the settlement, click here.