Impact Evaluation of the Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) Program

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the availability of $2,000,000 for the research project titled Impact Evaluation of the Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) Program. The deadline for proposals is July 28, 2022. More details about this funding opportunity can be found at the following link: https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/spm/gmomgmt/grantsinfo/fundingopps/fy22_impacteval.

Congress established the ERA program to provide emergency assistance for rental, utility, and other related expenses to households at risk of losing their rental units due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program is administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. A total of $46 billion was allocated thought the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021, enacted in December 2020 (ERA1) and the American Rescue Plan enacted in March 2021 (ERA2).

HUD is soliciting proposals that use rigorous methods to measure the impact of ERA on housing stability. HUD’s primary outcome of interest is eviction, but applicants can propose other housing stability measures. Proposals can be limited to a set of jurisdictions, but the applicant must demonstrate that the proposed jurisdictions are sufficient for a robust design, with sufficient data points to allow for robust statistical power, and for the establishment of a counterfactual.