Rental Housing Support (RHS) Re-Entry Program

Submission Deadline: March 16, 2026 at 11:59PM CST

To assist with completing the application, Applicants are encouraged to reference the application guide here and the scoring guide below.

In order to be considered for the grant, the applicant must: respond to all required fields, upload all required documents where prompted, and provide their signature via the Adobe pathway at the end of the application under "Application Certification."

PLEASE NOTE:

This grant is for housing costs only. Approved LAA's are required to fund and/or facilitate other essential livings costs including, but not limited to, furnishing and basic living supplies. Applicants are asked to provide a furnishing and supply summary as part of the application.

There is no fee to apply.

Additional resources and program information, including notice of any application/technical assistance webinars, will be available at IHDA’s website here.

For questions and comments, please contact RHSP@ihda.org.

Jotform Instructions

In order to save your application submission to finish later, we advise applicants to create a Jotform account to ensure continued access to their forms. Additionally, we advise all applicants to copy-paste their responses into a separate program, such as a Word Document.

No hard copies will be accepted. Please direct all Jotform questions to RHSP@ihda.org.

Please note: the Primary Contact will be the default agency contact for all grant correspondence from IHDA, which will involve time-sensitive requests and require a high level of responsiveness.

1. Organizational Experience:

In a narrative of no more than one page, please provide an overview of the lead and partner organizations. Include information such as how long you have been in business, how many employees, who you serve, and what is your mission and the primary activities of the organization. Does your organization or partner have any special qualifications that would enhance the management of a rental assistance program? What experience have you had with rental assistance programs or other similarly managed programs? What organizational experience do you have working with people exiting prison or similar populations?

2. Key Functions Narrative:

Describe experience the agency has had with the functions listed below. Also include staff information for who will be performing those functions, the staff direct experience, including the name of the agency that employs the staff member(s):

3. Proposal Summary:

Provide a high-level description of your proposal, including the number of households expected to be assisted, proposed service area, and any further information related to the program. Please also include the overall structure of how the program would be managed, including Partner (s)’ roles, if any. For example, if you are covering a full county but focusing in certain areas, or if you are dividing an area with partners, please include that information. The proposal must include a continuity/contingency plan for continual program administration through organizational transitions such as staffing changes.

1. Plan for Services Narrative:

The Plan for Services Narrative must outline the services that will be
offered to tenants, the number of proposed in-house program staff, how services will be provided (on-site and/or community-based) and by what organization(s), detail regarding how service referrals will be handled, and how service provisions will be funded.

The service plan must clarify, at a minimum, how the applicant will make the following services available to tenants, whether directly by applicant staff, or through referrals to community-based providers or other existing partnerships:

• Case management;
• Tenancy support services; and
• Access to behavioral health services including substance use and mental health services.

Applicants must attach a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or other agreement with a community-based service provider, or a declaration that supportive services are provided directly, with specifications of what services are provided.

The service plan narrative response should also include information about any additional supportive services that will be provided including, but not limited to, independent living skills support, transportation assistance, and education/employment supports.

Please provide your service plan for each of the following services, where applicable, including the names of any outside agency service provider partners.

1. Re-Entry Landlord Selection Process:

Explain the process to identify and select landlords. The process shall include outreach and assessment of the units and capacity of the Landlord to meet program requirements. Include in the narrative how you plan to choose units, taking into account the following applicable concepts: location, relationship with Landlords, unit size, rent levels, and other variables that would alter your decision-making process. LAA’s may select Landlords that are an entity that is a fully or partially owned subsidiary of the LAA if the LAA provides for an independent third party able to perform monitoring functions such as property inspections and funding reconciliations. Approval of funding of related parties will be at the discretion of IHDA. The landlord outreach processes must include targeting multi-bedroom and handicap-accessible units.

2. Market Rent Analysis:

To establish the amount of your request, you must document the Market Rent in areas where the units will be located. To determine the market rent, applicants should submit at least three rental comparable properties for each bedroom size they are requesting. An applicant can provide the analysis based on probable units in the program, or can use current RHS units to compare to the units in the analysis.

The market rent analysis will include, at a minimum, details regarding the comparable property’s location, number of bedrooms, and amenities for both the property and the units. Information regarding which utilities are included and not included in the proposed and comparable rents and an estimate of their cost must also be included in the comparable comparison analysis.

Please note, there is an especially high program need for studio and one-bedroom units. Emphasis on 0-2 bedroom units is encouraged.

To submit your analysis, pease complete at least one of the below tables.

3. Utilization Plan:

Describe the workplans for utilizing 15% of the award after 12 months and 45% of the award after 24 months.

4. Funding Request Summary:

The Funding Summary shows the detail related to your funding request. The rents may be target rents based on the market Rent Analysis or based on actuals. If a more detailed explanation needs to be provided, please provide clear and understandable information in a narrative. Do not deduct the estimated amount of Tenant Contributions. Use full rents in the calculation.

These amounts represent the amount of funding you are requesting for three years.

IHDA reserves the right to revise the proposed budget totals.

5. Administrative Costs:

Approved LAA’s will be eligible to receive administrative funding to cover program operating expenses of the RHSP, up to 10% of annual RHSP rental assistance up to $500,000 or up to 7% of RHSP annual grants over $500,000.

Program operating expenses may include: staff salaries and benefits of LAA employees for time spent performing duties associated with the RHSP, including: inspections, tenant referrals and determination of tenant’s eligibility; negotiation with prospective landlords regarding participation in the RHSP; technical assistance; auditing and bookkeeping expenses; the LAA’s use of equipment in operating the RHSP (such as cars, copiers, paper used in preparing required documentation, etc.); and costs for office space and utilities incurred in operating under the RHSP. Please detail by line item anticipated administrative costs.

6. Furnishing and Supply Summary:

Provide a summary detailing how units will be furnished and supplied with basic items such as toiletries, bedding and cookware.

7. Implementation Plan:

Provide workplans for the following activities for the duration of the program:

Every grantee under the Program will be required to comply with these certifications and requirements as well as any additional certifications or requirements covered in the grant documents:

1. Applicant certifies that all statements herein are true, accurate, and complete;

2. Applicant is an eligible recipient of grant funds based on the Program Rules;

3. Applicant will not permit any discrimination on the basis of gender, race, religion, national origin, ancestry, creed, pregnancy, marital or parental status, sexual orientation, or physical, mental, emotional or learning disability in connection with its participation in the Program;

4. Applicant will ensure expenditures of grant funds are for eligible uses under the Program;

5. Applicant will comply with the terms and conditions of the Program;

6. Applicant will comply with monitoring and evaluation of the Program through the term of any grant award; and

7. Applicant understands that submitting an application is not a guarantee of funding.

By providing my signature below, I certify that the information contained herein accurately reflects my jurisdiction’s commitment and ability to participate fully in the RHS Re-Entry Program.