Rent Assistance in South Dakota

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.

SD Housing does not hand rent money to individuals. It funds local agencies, and most emergency help in South Dakota is reached through one door: the Coordinated Entry System, a toll-free line and a set of walk-in sites in Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Brookings, Watertown and Yankton.

Two limits are worth knowing before you call. Emergency Solutions Grant help is aimed at households below 30% of area median income who are homeless or at imminent risk of losing their housing, and the separate deposit program pays only a security deposit, not back rent.

Where to Start in South Dakota

Coordinated Entry System and Emergency Solutions Grant

Coordinated Entry assesses your housing needs and refers you to agencies, which receive their referrals through it. Emergency Solutions Grant funds can support homelessness prevention and short- or medium-term rental assistance for households below 30% of area median income who are literally homeless or at imminent risk of losing housing. Call or visit a listed site.

Visit website · Phone: 800-664-1349 · Call or check the website to confirm it is open

Security Deposit Assistance Program

Pays a security deposit, capped at one month's rent, for renters at or below 60% of area median income who face displacement or are moving to stable or more affordable housing. You cannot apply to SD Housing directly. Funds run first-come, first-served through participating agencies, each with its own selection rules and paperwork.

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

SD Housing

The state housing authority, also listing Section 8 and Section 811 rental assistance on its site. Toll-free: 800-540-4241.

Visit website · Phone: 605-773-3181 · Call or check the website to confirm it is open

Local Rent Help in South Dakota

Inter-Lakes Community Action Partnership, Sioux Falls (Sioux Falls)

A Coordinated Entry site at 409 N. Western Avenue, open weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed noon to 1 p.m.

Visit website · Phone: 605-334-2808 · Call or check the website to confirm it is open

Sioux Falls Housing and Redevelopment Commission (Sioux Falls)

A Coordinated Entry site at 3900 W. 53rd Street, open Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., closed noon to 2 p.m.

Visit website · Phone: 605-332-0704 · Call or check the website to confirm it is open

Volunteers of America, Northern Rockies (Rapid City)

A Coordinated Entry site at 111 New York Street, open weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Rapid City's other sites are Family Connections Center at 605-716-0422 and Wambli Ska at 605-205-5092.

Visit website · Phone: 605-341-8336 · Call or check the website to confirm it is open

Western Resources for Independent Living (Rapid City)

A participating agency for SD Housing's Security Deposit Assistance Program.

Visit website · Phone: 605-718-1930 · Call or check the website to confirm it is open

Codington County Community Services (Watertown)

A Coordinated Entry site at 7 W. Kemp, open weekdays 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Visit website · Phone: 605-882-6286 · Call or check the website to confirm it is open

Aberdeen Housing (Aberdeen)

A participating agency for security deposit help. Other participants include Calm Waters in Sioux Falls at 605-595-0718, Brookings at 605-692-1670, Huron at 605-352-1520, Pierre at 605-773-7425 and Mitchell's Safe Place at 605-996-4440.

Visit website · Phone: 605-226-2321 · Call or check the website to confirm it is open

Facing Eviction in South Dakota?

A 2024 state law (Senate Bill 90) repealed the separate three-day notice to quit at SDCL 21-16-2. Under SDCL 21-16-1, a landlord may now bring an eviction case when a tenant fails to pay rent within three days of its due date or stays after the lease ends. SDCL 21-16-7 gives you five days from service to appear and answer. The Attorney General's consumer page still describes the older 3-day notice and four-day answer, so rely on the statute and the deadline on your own summons. That page also says eviction requires a court order, a landlord cannot lock you out, and a phone call or letter to the landlord is not an answer. The state court system publishes a tenant answer packet. Read the official guidance

Free or low-cost legal help: East River Legal Services and Dakota Plains Legal Services. East River offers free civil legal help with evictions, repairs and lease problems to residents of 33 eastern counties, including Minnehaha, Lincoln, Brown and Codington. Dakota Plains, at 605-856-4444, serves qualifying low-income people, older Americans and veterans, including on nine tribal nations, with offices in Rapid City, Sioux Falls and elsewhere. Visit website · Phone: 800-952-3015

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

More Help in South Dakota

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.

South Dakota Rent Assistance Questions

Is SD Cares rental assistance still open?

We could not find a current official page saying it is, and SD Housing's SD Cares address no longer loads. Its current programs page lists Emergency Solutions Grants and security deposit help, not SD Cares, so do not plan around it. Call Coordinated Entry at 800-664-1349 instead.

Can I get help with a security deposit in South Dakota?

Possibly, if your household is at or below 60% of area median income and a participating agency serves your county and has funds. The program pays only the deposit, up to one month's rent.

Who helps with rent in Sioux Falls or Rapid City?

Start at a Coordinated Entry site. In Sioux Falls, that means Inter-Lakes Community Action or the Housing and Redevelopment Commission. In Rapid City, it means Volunteers of America, Family Connections Center or Wambli Ska. The Helpline Center's 211 line can also search local resources.

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:

Sources: