The Colorado Emergency Rental Assistance Program will no longer process new requests for additional assistance/recertification on Oct. 21 at 11:59 p.m. and will stop accepting new applications in mid-November. But Brothers Redevelopment’s services aren’t going anywhere.

Since June 2021, Brothers has provided over $9 million in rental assistance to 1,658 households in the state through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program. The agency also serves Denverites by administering funds for Denver’s Temporary Rental and Utility Assistance Program — a financial resource available to Denverites. From January to September, Brothers has provided $396,797 in rental assistance and $15,682 in utility funds through the program.

Outside of financial assistance, Brothers’ housing helpline, Colorado Housing Connects (1-844-926-6632), has also been a beacon of hope for struggling Coloradans. The helpline received 35,246 inquiries from 59 of Colorado’s 64 counties in 2021. Callers received assistance with eviction/foreclosure prevention, tenant-landlord issues, housing counseling services, housing discrimination issues, and more.

If you’re concerned about paying rent in the coming months, here are some resources from Brothers that can help you keep your housing.

Rental Assistance

Denver County residents seeking rental assistance through the City of Denver’s Temporary Rental and Utility Assistance Program should call Colorado Housing Connects to speak to a housing navigator to determine their eligibility and start the application process.

Those who live outside of Denver County can still apply for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program if they’re new applicants until mid-November. To apply for the emergency rental assistance program, click here.

Colorado Housing Connects

Colorado Housing Connects is available to all Coloradans throughout the state and provides information on housing services and topics of interest to renters, landlords, first-time homebuyers, older adults, people with disabilities, and anyone with fair housing concerns.

The helpline works with renters to prevent evictions by connecting clients to local rental assistance resources, informing renters about the eviction process and their rights, and by helping renters access legal referrals.

Since 2020, Colorado Housing Connects has also offered free eviction prevention webinars in which housing/legal experts cover the eviction process, renter rights and rental assistance resources. To find the next webinar, click here.

Renters seeking assistance can contact Colorado Housing Connects at 1-844-926-6632 or by visiting coloradohousingconnects.org.

Tenant-landlord Mediation Services

Colorado Housing Connects offers free tenant-landlord mediation to residents in Adams and Denver counties.

The Tenant-Landlord Mediation Program in Adams County was designed for the purpose of creating housing stability in the county. Trained mediators facilitate high-quality, non-cost mediation services to mitigate landlord-tenant disputes in Adams County. The goal of tenant-landlord mediation is to divert parties away from court-sanctioned eviction proceedings and to work toward mutually agreed alternatives between renters and landlords — like rental assistance, payment plans, lease compliance, and more.

In Denver, Colorado Housing Connects offers tenant-landlord mediation services for all manners of housing disputes — including maintenance issues, lease disputes, security deposit disagreements, and more.

Medication can help protect housing for struggling residents and is confidential. Among those who can benefit from the tenant-landlord mediation include those who are concerned about paying rent, residents who are worried that rental assistance won’t come soon enough and those who are experiencing lease disputes or violations.

Those who are interested in tenant-landlord mediation services can learn more information by calling Colorado Housing Connects or by submitting a web inquiry at coloradohousingconnects.org.

The phonelines are ringing at Colorado Housing Connects (1-844-926-6632) in light of the end of the federal eviction moratorium.

Since the Supreme Court rejected the Biden administration’s moratorium on evictions last Thursday, Colorado Housing Connects has seen a 55% increase in inquiries. On Monday, the housing helpline received 241 inquiries alone.

That number marks the most inquiries Colorado Housing Connects has seen since March 17, 2020 — a day after Gov. Jared Polis ordered Colorado bars and restaurants to close. That day, 229 inquiries were submitted to the housing helpline.

“So much has changed since March 2020, but the severity of the need hasn’t receded. The demand for housing answers is as urgent today as it has been since COVID-19 first hit,” said Colorado Housing Connects Manager Patrick Noonan.

Colorado Housing Connects has been an important asset for Coloradans throughout the pandemic as more than 59,452 inquiries for housing help have been submitted to the housing helpline. It assists landlords, renters and homeowners by connecting residents to local resources like rental/mortgage assistance, legal assistance, HUD-approved housing counselors and more.

During the COVID-19 crisis, Brothers Redevelopment has also been working tirelessly to administer funds for multiple rental assistance programs.

At an Aug. 30 Denver City Council meeting, Council elected to award Brothers an additional $3 million to distribute through the city’s Temporary Rental and Utility Assistance Program — a financial resource available to Denverites. Brothers also administers funds for the statewide Emergency Rental Assistance Program.

Tenants who are behind on rent are encouraged to contact Colorado Housing Connects, apply for rental assistance, pay as much as they can toward their rent and to proactively communicate with their landlord.