Sununu urges Congressional delegation to seek continuance of rent relief program

Gov. Chris Sununu (Courtesy photo)

CONCORD - New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu announced on Friday that the state has learned it will not be awarded additional funding to continue the U.S. Treasury's Emergency Rental Assistance beyond Dec. 29.

State officials learned of the cutoff via an unannounced list on the U.S Treasury's website. Unlike several other states, New Hampshire will not receive the additional $67 million in ERA2 funding it had requested this past summer.

"After waiting several months, we learned that without notice or explanation, additional Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) funds for New Hampshire have been rejected while 28 other states around the country have been given the resources for their program to continue," stated Sununu. "With skyrocketing inflation, cold weather and the holiday season, this is the absolute worst time for the federal government to take this step."

The governor sent a letter to New Hampshire's congressional delegation today, asking them to work directly with the U.S. Treasury to urge them to reconsider their decision to end the ERA program early in New Hampshire.

"I ask that you work directly with U.S. Treasury and urge them to reconsider their decision to end the ERA program early in New Hampshire, while confirming New Hampshire's reallocation of our ERA 1 funding. Please stand up and right this wrong for our state," Sununu said in the letter.

Those looking for additional information and to access supportive services should contact their local Community Action Partnership (CAP) by visiting www.capnh.org.

About the New Hampshire Emergency Rental Assistance Program (NHERAP)
The New Hampshire Emergency Rental Assistance Program (NHERAP) has been providing financial assistance such as rental and utility assistance to eligible households across the state since March 2021. The program utilizes funds from Emergency Rental Assistance 1 (ERA1) from the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) and Emergency Rental Assistance 2 (ERA2) from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). NH Housing alongside the state's five Community Action Partnerships facilitate NHERAP while working with tenants and landlords.

To date, NHERAP has provided over $230 million in assistance to over 23,000 households in all 10 counties.