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The Iowa Rent and Utility Assistance Program will provide financial assistance to eligible Iowans for rent and utility costs.
The Iowa Finance Authority is pleased to partner with utility providers to ensure that Iowa renters who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and are in need of assistance with past due utility bills are able to receive the help they need.
Utility providers with renters in need of help with past due payments should:
Details
This program requires completion of a Utility Participation Form which can be requested via email with the subject line “Requesting Utility Participation Form.” The contents of completed forms will be evaluated prior to receiving automatic notices, payments and other engagement with the program.
Completion of a Utility Participation Form is required to receive automatic notices planned twice a week (Mondays and Thursdays) about customers that have applied for the program and related status changes. Applicants may contact their utility provider(s) to inform them of a submitted application. Utilities may also call or email the Application Support Team to request confirmation of an application submission by providing the applicant’s name and address in the request; however, completion of the Utility Participation Form and monitoring email notices is the most effective and efficient approach.
If you are a provider that received payments from the previous program, your utility contact information will be used for the new program for general program updates. To receive payments and information on customer applicants in the new program, each provider needs to complete a Utility Participation Form to agree to the requirements of the program and provide payment related information. To request this form, contact the program team.
Once an application is approved, a payment will be issued directly from the Iowa Finance Authority to an eligible applicant’s utility provider(s). IFA will make payments through ACH. Completion of the Utility Participation Form is required to receive payments as a utility provider. The provider(s) will apply those funds to the applicant’s utility account as a credit applied towards the outstanding and current account balance.
Yes. Renters must demonstrate negative economic or financial hardship due directly or indirectly to COVID-19
Yes. Renters may still apply for utility assistance only.
No. Funds can only be used for rent and utility assistance.
Yes. Funds will be used to first pay unpaid rent and utility bills. Funds cannot be applied to past due rent or utility costs that were incurred prior to March 13, 2020.
Utility assistance is available for utility bills owed to utility providers at the time of application. Utility providers that require payment before services can be continued (such as propane vendors) are included in this determination, subject to any further guidance from the federal government.
Trash removal may include hauling refuse from the rental property, including but not limited to recycling, trash bins, landfill fees, or composting/ lawn waste fees. Sewer fees may include wastewater and storm water related fees. Reasonable fees that are charged to maintain services of the eligible service types that are included on the utility bill are eligible for assistance. Charges for internet, cable television, phone, satellite, and related services are not eligible.
Yes. We are asking for the form to be filled out for the new program even if you participated in the previous. The form includes a new certification, and the data entered throughout the form is being stored differently. There is a new online platform portal vendor and the Iowa Finance Authority accounting department is making the payments, not IEDA. IFA only does ACH payments. The integration into our new policies and systems necessitates the form completion. We appreciate your assistance in providing some of the same information again as we implement the new program.
No. Because Polk County and the City of Des Moines are administering a local Emergency Rental Assistance Program, we are unable to offer assistance to residents in those jurisdictions until the local funds are exhausted. It was not a federal requirement for the program to offer utility assistance. Therefore, the state cannot accept utility-only applications from Polk County and Des Moines.
Trash removal may include hauling refuse from the rental property, including but not limited to recycling, trash bins, landfill fees, or composting/ lawn waste fees. Sewer fees may include wastewater and storm water related fees. Reasonable fees that are charged to maintain services of the eligible service types that are included on the utility bill are eligible for assistance. Charges for internet, cable television, phone, satellite, and related services are not eligible.
Applicants must meet the eligibility criteria and have past due utility costs. The purpose of this program is to assist low-income households that were economically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The full eligibility requirements are on our website. If households have already paid their balance owed, this program cannot reimburse an applicant for their bills already paid before they applied.
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