Rent Assistance in Pennsylvania

Last checked: November 2026. Benefits Explorer is a directory. We do not provide rent money or decide who gets help, and each program makes its own decisions.

Pennsylvania's Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) closed effective October 1, 2025. The main statewide route now is the Homeless Assistance Program, which the Department of Human Services funds and each county delivers through its own lead office. What a county offers, and the income cutoff it uses, differ from one county to the next, so your first call is to your county's contact.

Philadelphia works differently from the rest of the state. Renters there can call the Office of Homeless Services prevention line, and the city's Eviction Diversion Program has its own online site and a rental aid program called Targeted Financial Assistance, which is not available once a landlord has filed in Municipal Court.

Where to Start in Pennsylvania

Homeless Assistance Program (HAP) rental assistance

For people in danger of eviction, or moving out of shelter or to cheaper housing. The state says your county may be able to help with payments for rent, security deposits and utilities. Counties and providers set income guidelines between 100 and 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, and services depend on the county. There is no single state application: ask the county contact listed below.

Visit website · Call or check the website to confirm it is open

HAP county contact list

The Department of Human Services' county-by-county directory of lead homeless assistance offices, with phone numbers. Some entries are county agencies; others are community action agencies or nonprofits, and a few cover more than one county.

Visit website · Accepting applications when last checked

PA 211

Free, confidential statewide referral line, available around the clock. Dial 211, text your ZIP code to 898-211, or search programs online to ask what rent help is funded near you right now.

Visit website · Phone: 211 · Accepting applications when last checked

PHFA housing counseling

The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency does not list rent payments among its renter services. It does point households facing eviction or loss of income to free HUD-certified counselors who can build an action plan. PAHousingSearch, its apartment locator, has a call center at 1-877-428-8844.

Visit website · Phone: 1-855-827-3466 · Accepting applications when last checked

Property Tax/Rent Rebate

Not emergency help, but it does put money back for some renters: people 65 or older, widows and widowers 50 or older, and people with disabilities 18 or older, with household income of $48,110 or less. The state lists a standard rebate of $380 to $1,000 based on income, and a December 31, 2026 application deadline. Renters need a rent certificate from their landlord.

Visit website · Phone: 1-888-222-9190 · Accepting applications when last checked

Local Rent Help in Pennsylvania

Office of Homeless Services Homelessness Prevention InfoLine (Philadelphia)

The city says you can apply for financial help with overdue rent or a security deposit by calling this line and following the instructions. PhillyTenant.org listed funding as available on December 18, 2025, so ask about current funding. If you still need help applying, email OHSPrevention@phila.gov.

Visit website · Phone: (215) 686-7177 · Call or check the website to confirm it is open

Eviction Diversion Program and Targeted Financial Assistance (Philadelphia)

PhillyTenant.org says landlords must take part in the city's Eviction Diversion Program before going to court and must send you a notice about it. Targeted Financial Assistance is the rental aid attached to that program, and it is not available if your landlord has already filed against you in Municipal Court. The source lists no dollar limit. Use the program site, or call the tenant hotline for help.

Visit website · Phone: (267) 443-2500 · Call or check the website to confirm it is open

Utility Emergency Services Fund (UESF) (Philadelphia)

The city describes UESF as helping families with back rent so they can remain in their homes. Its veterans line is (215) 814-6888. Funding changes, so ask whether it is taking applications.

Visit website · Phone: (215) 972-5170 · Call or check the website to confirm it is open

HopePHL rental assistance (Philadelphia, families with children)

Formerly People's Emergency Center. PhillyTenant.org lists it for families with children, with an online application, and last showed funding on July 30, 2025.

Visit website · Call or check the website to confirm it is open

Germantown Avenue Crisis Ministry (Philadelphia ZIP codes 19118, 19119, 19126, 19138, 19144 and 19150)

Small grants toward rent, utilities and mortgage for residents of these ZIP codes only. Call first to schedule an appointment.

Visit website · Phone: (215) 843-2340 · Call or check the website to confirm it is open

Allegheny County Bureau of Hunger and Housing Services (Allegheny County, including Pittsburgh)

The county's lead Homeless Assistance Program contact on the state's list, at One Smithfield Street in Pittsburgh. Ask which rent help is currently funded.

Visit website · Phone: (412) 350-4354 · Call or check the website to confirm it is open

Neighborhood Legal Services (Allegheny, Beaver, Butler and Lawrence Counties)

Legal help for tenants, including landlord-tenant defense and wrongful eviction, plus utility and security deposit issues.

Visit website · Phone: (866) 761-6572 · Accepting applications when last checked

Facing Eviction in Pennsylvania?

For unpaid rent, a landlord must give written notice at least 10 days before filing an eviction case, and the hearing is usually before a Magisterial District Judge. If the case is only about unpaid rent, you can stop the eviction before physical removal by paying the judgment amount plus court costs, which is called the right to pay and stay. You have 10 days to file an appeal if you lose. Philadelphia differs: most hearings are at 1339 Chestnut Street, and low-income tenants in some ZIP codes have a right to free representation. Read the official guidance

Free or low-cost legal help: PALawHelp.org and the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network. The network's guide to legal information and legal aid in Pennsylvania, with a Legal Help Finder to reach your local office. In Philadelphia, the Philly Tenant Hotline at (267) 443-2500 offers free legal help to tenants in all ZIP codes. Visit website

This page is general information, not legal advice. Don't ignore a notice or court papers, because eviction deadlines can be short.

Pennsylvania Programs That Have Closed

You may still see these programs online. Check before you spend time on an application.

  • Pennsylvania Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP): The federally funded program that paid past-due and upcoming rent and utilities. The Department of Human Services says ERAP is closed effective October 1, 2025. ERAP1 ended September 30, 2022, and ERAP2 ended September 30, 2025.

More Help in Pennsylvania

Want other options? See our full rent assistance guide, including how to spot a scam, or see your options. That form is not an application for rent assistance. If you submit it, Benefits Explorer and its partners may contact you.

Pennsylvania Rent Assistance Questions

How do I apply for rental assistance in Philadelphia online?

The city's Eviction Diversion Program has its own site, and its Targeted Financial Assistance is not available once your landlord has filed in Municipal Court. Some nonprofits take online applications too, such as HopePHL for families with children. The Office of Homeless Services route starts by phone at (215) 686-7177, not online.

How do I apply for rental assistance in Pennsylvania online?

We found no single statewide online application. ERAP has closed, and Homeless Assistance Program help goes through county contacts, so find your county on the state's list and ask how it takes applications. PA 211 can also search what is funded near you.

Can I get help with a security deposit in Pennsylvania?

Possibly. The state says county Homeless Assistance Program rental help can cover security deposits, and Philadelphia's Office of Homeless Services accepts applications for a security deposit to move into a new home. Availability depends on your county and on funding.

Who can help me with a Philadelphia eviction?

Call the Philly Tenant Hotline at (267) 443-2500. Tenants in all ZIP codes can get free legal help through it. Low-income tenants in ZIP codes 19121, 19124, 19131, 19132, 19134, 19139, 19141, 19144, 19153 and 19154 have a right to free representation in eviction cases, according to PhillyTenant.org.

Rent Assistance in Nearby States

Most programs only help people who live in their state. If you are moving or live near a state line, you can also check:

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