Suffolk County is offering an Emergency Rental Assistance program to qualified tenants, including those living year-round in rental housing on Shelter Island. Find out if you’re eligible to apply for a lottery offering one month of rent up to $2,500.
This program funds residents in existing rental units, with payments going directly to the landlord. In all, $600,000 in funds are available. Applicants are required to fill out and sign a self-certification form to verify their income and how they were affected by the pandemic.
The program is part of Suffolk BACKSTOP, a new initiative announced Wednesday by Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. In a separate component, certain businesses impacted by COVID-19 may qualify for grants of up to $10,000 (read about that program in this Gazette post).
“We are now nine months into this pandemic, and with cases surging once again we need to provide residents in need tangible assistance,” Bellone said in a news release. “This new rent relief program coupled with financial aid to struggling small businesses will provide help to some of our most vulnerable residents.”
Emergency Rental Assistance criteria
To be eligible for the rental assistance lottery, an applicant must:
- Be a Suffolk County resident who is currently occupying a legal permanent housing unit (no hotels, motels, or dorms) within one of the participating Consortium municipalities (see below)
- Have a fully-executed lease that has been in effect for a minimum of one month at the time of application, and has a term of at least one year
- Have a Total Household Income within the HUD Guidelines (see below), which has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic
Income guidelines
The maximum permitted combined gross annual household income shall not exceed 80 percent of the area’s median annual household income (AMI) as determined by HUD:
| Household Size | Max Combined Allowable Income (80% AMI) |
| 1 | $70,950 |
| 2 | $81,050 |
| 3 | $91,200 |
| 4 | $101,300 |
| 5 | $109,450 |
| 6 | $117,550 |
| 7 | $125,650 |
| 8 | $133,759 |
Eligible housing units
Applicants must reside in a lead-based paint free home within the Suffolk County HOME Consortium area, including the five East End towns and the Town of Huntington (where income eligibility is 60 percent of AMI). On Shelter Island, rentals in the Village of Dering Harbor do not qualify.
The rental housing be occupied as a principal residence, including single-family houses, apartments, condominiums, cooperative apartments (co-ops), or manufactured homes.
Qualified applicants will be selected via a lottery after the application window closes. Selected applicants and their landlords will be contacted by Suffolk County for further information and eligibility review. The county says it is important to note that selection in the lottery is not a guarantee of funding.
Apply by January 15
Applications will available online starting Tuesday, December 15. Find details on the economic development page of the county’s website. The deadline to apply is January 15.
For more information contact 631-853-5705 or email Community.Development@suffolkcountyny.gov.
