Knoxville Rental Assistance: Where to Get Help With Rent Now

Knoxville rental assistance programs that closed

During the pandemic, the U.S. Treasury sent Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) money to Tennessee and to large local governments. Knoxville and Knox County ran a local program, often called Knox Housing Assistance, that paid back rent and utilities for many households before it closed to new applicants once its money was spent.

The Tennessee Housing Development Agency (THDA) later used remaining funds for an Emergency Rental Assistance Eviction Prevention Program delivered through local partners. The THDA program page says it ended July 31, 2025 and is no longer taking applications. It sends renters to 211 instead. The U.S. Treasury ERA program is also over; its second round's spending period ended September 30, 2025.

So if you see an ad or post offering Knoxville "rent relief" applications, be careful. Old pages stay online for years, and some offers are scams. Real programs never charge a fee to apply. Our Tennessee rent relief guide covers the rest of the state.

Local sources of rent help

Rent help in Knoxville today is local, limited, and usually a one-time payment. Funding changes month to month, so ask several places in the same week.

211

Dial 2-1-1 or search on 211.org. A specialist can tell you which rent, utility, and shelter programs in Knox County have money right now. It is free and confidential.

Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee

CAC is the county's community action agency. It runs neighborhood centers, energy help, senior services, and programs for people who are homeless or about to be. More on CAC below.

Charities and churches

The Salvation Army, Catholic Charities of East Tennessee, St. Vincent de Paul, and many Knoxville congregations sometimes pay part of a month's rent, especially when you can show the rest is covered. Use the Salvation Army location finder to find the Knoxville office and ask what is open. Our guide to churches that help with rent explains how to ask.

Legal Aid of East Tennessee eviction prevention

Legal Aid of East Tennessee runs a Knoxville Eviction Prevention Program at (865) 371-8730. If you already have a notice or a detainer warrant, call this line first. A lawyer may be able to stop or delay the case while you look for rent money.

Working with the Community Action Committee

The CAC social services page lists several programs that touch on housing:

• Emergency Solutions Grant help. This federal grant helps CAC serve people who are unsheltered. CAC says it regularly pays housing deposits, first month's rent, and utility deposits so people can move into a home.
• Homeward Bound. Case management for people experiencing homelessness, including housing placement and help with work and education.
• Eviction prevention. CAC reports that households it served avoided eviction, but its page does not describe a standing back-rent program. Call and ask what funds are open.
• Project LIVE for adults 60 and older, at (865) 524-2786.

CAC says applicants must meet income and other eligibility rules for all services. Its neighborhood centers serve East, South, and West Knoxville, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.

Across Tennessee, community action agencies are funded in part by the Community Services Block Grant. The state's CSBG FAQ says the Department of Human Services does not pay rent directly, but agencies can use the grant for deposits and rent or mortgage help for households at or below 125 percent of the poverty level.

Knoxville rent help compared

Income guidelines for local help

Each program sets its own limit, but CSBG-funded help uses 125 percent of the federal poverty level. Based on the 2026 HHS poverty guidelines, that works out to roughly:

Monthly figures are rounded. Agencies may still use an earlier year's chart or count income over a set period, so ask for the current one. Charities often have their own limits.

How eviction works in Knox County

Tennessee has two sets of landlord-tenant rules. The Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA), Tennessee Code Title 66, Chapter 28, covers the state's larger counties, and Knox County is one of them. Smaller counties follow older general law. We could not load the official statute text for this update, so the summary below follows guidance published by Tennessee legal aid groups. Have a lawyer read your own notice.

Late rent and the 14-day notice

According to the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands:

• Rent is past due five days after the due date.
• A landlord can then give a 14-day notice. You have 14 days to pay the rent and any late fees to stop the eviction.
• Some leases waive the notice. In counties with 75,000 or more people, a lease can include a clause waiving the 14-day notice for nonpayment. Knox County is well above that size, so read your lease. If it has a waiver, the landlord may file without that notice.

The detainer warrant and court

If the landlord files, you will get a detainer warrant with a court date in Knox County General Sessions Court. Go to court and bring your lease, receipts, and any letter showing a charity or agency has promised to pay. If you lose, there is generally a short window, often 10 days, before the landlord can get a writ of possession, so ask legal aid about your deadlines right away. The Tennessee courts self-help center has forms and court information.

What a landlord cannot do

A Tennessee landlord must go through court. Changing the locks, removing your belongings, or cutting off utilities to force you out without a court order is not allowed.

Free legal help in Knoxville

Legal Aid of East Tennessee's Knoxville office serves Knox, Loudon, and Sevier counties. Call (865) 637-0484 or apply online, and use the eviction prevention line at (865) 371-8730 if you have a notice or court date. Older adults and anyone looking for self-help forms can also try Help4TN, a statewide legal help site.

A lawyer can check whether the notice was proper, raise repair problems, and negotiate a payment plan or more time to move. Call as soon as you get any notice.

Cutting other bills to cover rent

• Energy bills. CAC runs LIHEAP in Knox County through the THDA online portal. Its utility assistance page says 2026 to 2027 benefits range from $300 to $800 depending on household energy burden. Crisis application help began October 1, 2026, and regular application help on October 5, 2026. The LIHEAP office number is (865) 637-6700.
• Food. SNAP can pay up to $306 a month for one person from October 2026, if eligible.
• Cash for families. Families with children may qualify for Families First, Tennessee's TANF program.
• Job loss. File for unemployment right away, since benefits generally do not cover weeks before you file.

Long-term affordable housing

One-time help fixes a single month. If rent is simply more than you can afford, look at long-term options too:

• Public housing and vouchers. In the city, Knoxville's Community Development Corporation (KCDC) runs public housing and Housing Choice Vouchers. THDA runs vouchers in many other counties; its waiting list page shows which lists are open. Our Housing Choice Voucher guide explains how vouchers work.
• Income-based apartments. Rent is usually about 30 percent of income. Apply to several properties, since lists can be long.
• Rehousing help. If you have already lost your home, ask CAC about deposits and first month's rent through its Emergency Solutions Grant help.

What documents do I need to apply?

Expect to show photo ID, Social Security numbers for the people applying, proof of income for the last 30 days, and proof of where you live, plus any paper that shows the emergency itself. Our document checklist explains what counts for each item and what to do if something is missing. If you don't have everything yet, apply anyway and ask the office how long you have to bring the rest.

Getting rent help, step by step

1. Dial 211 and ask which rent programs in Knox County have funds this month.
2. Call CAC at (865) 546-3500 or visit a neighborhood center.
3. Gather your papers: ID, lease, income proof, and any notice from your landlord.
4. Read your lease for a clause waiving the 14-day notice.
5. Call Legal Aid of East Tennessee at (865) 371-8730 as soon as you get a notice or detainer warrant.
6. Go to every court date, even if you think help is on the way.

Related guides

• Tennessee rent relief
• Tennessee utility relief programs
• Salvation Army rental assistance
• Emergency Rental Assistance Program

Frequently asked questions

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Program funding and rules change often, and eviction rules depend on your county and lease. National Relief Program is an independent website and is not affiliated with Knoxville, Knox County, THDA, the State of Tennessee, or any government agency.