A survey done in Illinois by the US Census says there are about 300,000 people in Illinois who don’t always know how they are going to pay their rent.

A new program from the state is trying to address that. With the support of COVID-19 relief funds from the federal government, 125,000 renters will be able to apply for $25,000 each in back rent relief. Governor JB Pritzker says the process will need both the landlord and tenant involved. And local community groups can help put both parties together.

The process from application to deposit is expected to take about 90 days. The renter does not have access to the funds – they are directly deposited into an account for the landlord.