SANTA FE - The Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) offers emergency temporary housing assistance to renters whose rental unit was destroyed by the 2022 wildfire season and are currently displaced. The New Mexico Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) allows New Mexico renters to receive aid for current, temporary, or new rental housing in New Mexico.
Eligibility criteria for those affected by the fires include:
- Applicants must be a renter in New Mexico
- The rental unit was destroyed by the 2022 wildfire season
- The applicant or household makes under 80% of the average median income for each respective county
Potential assistance includes:
- Temporary hotel/motel cost at a New Mexico establishment
- Three months of future rent and utilities, Assistance is only for housing in New Mexico
Individuals should visit DFA’s website to begin the application process. Those affected by the fires will receive priority for temporary housing placement. Renters should fill out the contact information on the website, and a staff member will contact you.
“We have housing resources available now, so we want to help our fellow New Mexicans during this critical time using the programs that are up and running until more aid comes the state’s way,” said Debbie Romero, Cabinet Secretary for the Department of Finance and Administration. “For over a year, we have been providing housing assistance to families impacted by the pandemic. We encourage residents whose rental unit was destroyed by these catastrophic wildfires to reach out and see if they too are eligible to receive housing support.”
This assistance is only available to renters whose unit was destroyed by wildfires.
A household that falls outside of this eligibility are encouraged to go to https://www.nmdhsem.org/2022-wildfires/ for additional resources. All New Mexicans affected by the wildfires are urged to register for FEMA individual assistance at www.disasterassistance.gov.
Since May of 2021, ERAP has provided funds to assist households unable to pay rent or utilities during the pandemic. Funding and guidance for the program come from the U.S. Treasury. To date, DFA has issued 54,424 awards totaling $129,944,205.72 in rental and utility assistance.
For more information, https://www.nmdfa.state.nm.us/office-of-the-secretary/erap-fire-assistance/