Connecticut Rent Relief Program: What Ended and Where Tenants Can Turn Now

What happened to UniteCT

UniteCT was Connecticut's pandemic rent program. DOH ran it with federal Emergency Rental Assistance money, and it paid landlords and utility companies directly for households hurt by COVID-19. According to U.S. Representative John Larson, quoted in a 2023 state release, nearly 50,000 Connecticut households received this kind of help.

The state's COVID-19 rent and eviction page says plainly that UniteCT stopped accepting new applications for rent and electricity on February 15, 2022. The state's UniteCT page, posted in March 2022, still says the program "has been paused and is not taking new applications."

The Eviction Prevention Fund

In January 2023 the state used $12.5 million left in UniteCT and the state Rent Bank to start the Eviction Prevention Fund. The governor's launch announcement said it would pay up to $5,000 in back rent to a tenant's current landlord, with screening through the UniteCT call center. The cap was raised later. The fund only paid while money lasted, and DOH's last notice about it said UniteCT stopped taking new appointments on Friday, February 28 (by the calendar, 2025) and that the program is closed. DOH has since taken that page down.

The last federal source is gone too. The Treasury's Emergency Rental Assistance page says the ERA2 period of performance ended on September 30, 2025. So any help you get now will come from state programs that were never part of UniteCT, from local agencies, or from the court process itself.

Connecticut rent relief program options open now

There is no single application anymore. This table shows where to start for the most common problems.

The UniteCT call line, 1-844-864-8328, is still printed on the Right to Counsel website for tenants facing eviction after a job loss, a death in the household, or a medical problem. It is worth one call to ask whether any rental money is available in your area, but do not count on it.

State housing programs from DOH

The Department of Housing's rental support page lists the programs it still runs. None of them is a general back-rent fund, but several can matter during a housing crisis.

• Security Deposit Guarantee Program. Instead of paying cash, DOH guarantees the landlord up to two months' rent for a security deposit. The program page says it is for people documented as chronically homeless or leaving shelter, and that every referral must come from the Coordinated Access Network (CAN). Tenants in the Section 8 Mobility Program can also use it.
• Housing for people with HIV/AIDS. DOH lists grants of up to $7,500 per household for individual apartments. The contact is on the rental support page.
• Elderly Rental Assistance Program. This pays part of the rent in state-assisted elderly housing when rent is more than 30% of a tenant's adjusted income. DOH says the program is closed to new participants for now.
• Renters' Rebate. For renters who are 65 or older or receive Social Security disability, the state refunds part of a year's rent and utilities. You apply through your town in the spring and summer. Our Connecticut hardship program guide covers the amounts and dates, along with cash aid from DSS.

If utility bills are what pushed you behind, our guide to Connecticut utility relief programs explains energy assistance and hardship shutoff protection, which can free up money for rent.

211, homelessness hubs, and local charities

211 Connecticut is the front door for most housing help. It is run by United Way of Connecticut with state support. Dial 2-1-1 or 1-800-203-1234. DOH's homeless support page tells people in a housing emergency to call 2-1-1 and ask for a housing crisis specialist.

That call routes you into the Coordinated Access Network for your region. CANs run the state's shelter beds and rapid rehousing slots, and they make referrals to the deposit guarantee. If you are still housed but close to losing your place, ask the specialist about "diversion," which is short-term problem solving to keep you out of shelter, such as mediation with a landlord or help moving in with family.

Beyond 211, try these local sources at the same time:

• Town social services. Many Connecticut towns have a social services or human services department that runs small emergency funds or knows which churches are helping this month.
• Community action agencies. Connecticut's community action agencies run energy assistance and often have case managers who can piece together small grants.
• Salvation Army and Catholic Charities. Both have Connecticut offices that sometimes pay part of a month's rent. Our Salvation Army rental assistance guide explains how to ask.

Small funds rarely cover a full month. Ask each one what it can pay, and tell the others what has been promised. Landlords are more willing to wait when you can show a plan.

RAP certificates and Section 8 waiting lists

If the real problem is that rent eats too much of your income every month, a subsidy is the long-term fix. Connecticut has two kinds.

Rental Assistance Program (RAP)

RAP is Connecticut's own rent subsidy. The state pays part of your rent each month to a private landlord you choose, anywhere in Connecticut. DOH's RAP eligibility page says household income generally cannot be more than 50% of the area median income for the town where you want to live. The RAP waiting list is closed right now. You can sign up online to get an email when it opens.

Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers

DOH says all of its own Section 8 waiting lists are closed. But Connecticut has many local housing authorities, and each one opens its list on its own schedule. The CT Housing Choice Voucher website, run with 211, posts every open list and lets you sign up for alerts. When we checked, it showed one open list, from the Enfield Housing Authority, with a closing date of February 1, 2027.

DOH's application guidance suggests asking any housing authority four things: when its list will open, whether it gives a preference to local residents, whether it ever waives that preference, and how long the wait usually is. You do not have to live in a town to apply to its housing authority. Our Housing Choice Voucher guide explains how the federal program works.

The eviction timeline under Connecticut law

Connecticut calls an eviction case "summary process." The steps and deadlines come from the General Statutes, and they give you more time than many people expect. The figures below are from the landlord and tenant chapter and the summary process chapter.

Two details matter here. A notice to quit for nonpayment served before the grace period ends is defective. And a notice to quit is not an eviction. It starts the clock on a court case, and you still have the right to answer in court.

Inside a Connecticut housing case

Eviction cases are heard in a Housing Session of the Superior Court or on a judicial district's housing docket. You can look up your case by name, docket number, or address on the Judicial Branch's housing case look-up.

• File your appearance on time. This is the single most important step. Missing the two-day window can mean a judgment without a hearing.
• Use the mediator. In most cases, once both sides have appeared, the court schedules a session with a Judicial Branch housing mediator. Many cases end there with a written agreement, often a payment plan or a move-out date. Bring proof of any money promised by 211, a charity, or family.
• Raise defenses. A notice served too early, a wrong amount, a landlord who refused rent you offered in time, or retaliation for a repair complaint can all be defenses.
• Read any agreement before signing. Most settlements are "stipulated judgments." If you miss a payment, the landlord can often move quickly to get an execution.

An eviction judgment can follow you on rental screening. If you have one, our guide to second chance apartments that accept evictions can help with the next move.

Free lawyers through Right to Counsel

Connecticut's Right to Counsel program pays experienced lawyers to represent eligible tenants facing eviction or the loss of a housing subsidy. It is run by the Connecticut Bar Foundation, and you start at evictionhelpct.org. The site asks a few questions about your town and household.

When we checked, full representation was available in a long list of covered towns, including Bridgeport, Stamford, Norwalk, Danbury, New Britain, Meriden, Middletown, Waterbury, Norwich, and New London, for tenants who live in subsidized housing, are 62 or older, have a disability, or have children at home. Veterans can also qualify. Hamden covered tenants in subsidized housing in one zip code. Coverage changes as funding changes, so check the site.

If your town is not covered, the program says you can still call its hotline for advice. CTLawHelp, run by Connecticut's legal aid programs, has free self-help guides, forms, and a live chat. The state's own eviction page notes that, according to the program, a Connecticut renter facing eviction is 49% less likely to be forced out with a lawyer.

Late fees, good cause, and other protections

Connecticut tightened its rules on late fees in 2023. Under CGS 47a-15a, a landlord may charge a late fee only if your lease says so, only after the 9-day grace period, and only once per late payment. The fee cannot be more than the lesser of $5 a day up to $50, or 5% of the late rent. For example, on $1,400 rent, 5% is $70, so the most the landlord can charge is $50. If a charity or government program pays part of your rent, the 5% is figured on your share only.

Some tenants also have "good cause" protection under CGS 47a-23c. If you live in a building or complex with five or more units, or in a mobile home park, and you or a family member living with you is 62 or older or has a lasting disability, the landlord needs a reason recognized by law to evict you. Simply letting the lease run out is not enough. Nonpayment of rent is still a valid reason, so this protection does not stop a nonpayment case, but it does stop "no-fault" evictions.

Finally, Connecticut landlords cannot lock you out, remove your things, or shut off utilities to force you out. Removal happens only through a court execution carried out by a state marshal.

Steps to take this week

1. Write down the dates. When rent was due, when you got any notice, and how it was delivered.
2. Call 2-1-1 and ask for a housing crisis specialist. Ask about local rent funds and homelessness prevention in your town.
3. Check evictionhelpct.org if you have a notice to quit or court papers.
4. Talk to your landlord in writing. Offer a specific payment plan and say which agencies you have contacted.
5. File your appearance within two days after the return date on the summons.
6. Bring proof to mediation: pay stubs, award letters, and letters from any agency or charity promising money.
7. Sign up for waitlist alerts on the RAP page and the CT Housing Choice Voucher website.

Related guides

• Connecticut hardship program
• Connecticut debt relief programs
• Massachusetts rent relief
• Rent relief programs

Frequently asked questions

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Program funding and rules change, so confirm details with the agency before you apply. National Relief Program is an independent website and is not affiliated with the Connecticut Department of Housing, UniteCT, the State of Connecticut, or any government agency.