Tenant support and special rent help programs

If you need help paying your move-in costs, finding emergency shelter, or stopping an unfair rent increase, Connecticut has programs to protect you and your money. Use this complete guide to find the exact help you need.

Homeless support
If you are facing an immediate housing emergency, sleeping in a place not meant for living, or are about to lose your housing, help is available right away.

Coordinated Access Networks (CAN) / CT 211
A Coordinated Access Network (CAN) is a team of local groups that work together to find you shelter quickly. If you are sleeping in a place not meant for living or are about to lose your housing, call 2-1-1 and press Option 3 to speak with someone who can map out a local shelter bed or appointment.
Get help through CAN

CT Housing Hubs
These walk-in spaces offer on-site support beyond the 211 phone system. Locally run, some Hubs provide access to basics like hot meals, showers, laundry, mail, and day or warming shelters. They also connect you to programs for employment training, mental health, disability services, substance abuse recovery, and flexible funds for transportation or emergency housing.𠊏ind a CT Housing Hub (PDF)


Rental assistance and housing vouchers
Use these primary state and federal voucher programs to help pay your monthly rent in privately owned apartments or houses.

Section 8 Voucher Program
This federal program helps very low-income families, older adults, and people with disabilities afford safe housing in the private market. If you qualify, a housing subsidy is paid directly to your landlord on your behalf, and you pay the remaining balance of your rent. You pay no more than 30% of your income on rent.

Note: The Department of Housing's (DOH) Section 8 waitlist is currently closed. You can register online at cthcvp.org to receive an automatic notification when any Section 8 program in the state opens its waiting list.
�ministrator contact: J. D’Amelia & Associates at 203-757-1138
View Section 8 guidelines


Rental Assistance Program (RAP)This state-funded program is Connecticut’s initiative for helping very low-income families afford safe housing. Similar to Section 8, this certificate help bridge the gap between your income and your monthly rent cost. You pay no more than 40% of your income on rent. If you’re an older adult or have a disability, you pay no more than 30% of your income on rent.

Note: The DOH’s RAP waitlist is currently closed. You can register online at cthcvp.org to receive an automatic notification when the RAP opens its waiting list. 
�ministrator contact: J. D’Amelia & Associates at 203-757-1138

Check Rental Assistance Program (RAP) guidelines


Specialized health and recovery housing support
Use these programs if you need rental assistance while managing a chronic health condition or entering a substance use recovery program, or accessing family stability vouchers. 

Please note: Some of these tracks require direct referral from your case manager or clinical provider.

Housing assistance if you have HIV or AIDS
You can get short-term emergency housing help, or direct financial assistance to pay your monthly rent and utility bills if you have HIV or AIDS. Assistance may not exceed $7,500 per household.
𠊌ontact info: Department of Housing
Steve DiLella
Phone: 860-270-8081
Email: steve.dilella@ct.gov

View Housing Opportunities for Persons With HIV/AIDS


Recovery Housing Support (RHP)
This program provides short-term funding to help people recovering from substance use disorders (SUDs) stay in safe, sober environments (like halfway houses). You cannot apply directly for this voucher. Your clinical counselor or treatment provider must request an open bed for you.
View Recovery Housing Program details


Section 811 Project-Based Rental Assistance (CT811)
You cannot apply directly for this program. To get a spot, you must receive a referral from the Department of Social Services (DSS), the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), or your local Coordinated Access Network (CAN). This program attaches rental subsidies directly to specific properties on behalf of extremely low-income adults with disabilities ages 18 to 62. If you are placed in a unit, you will pay no more than 30% of your income toward rent.
𠊌ontact info: Contact Info: Department of Housing
Tawny Pho, Housing Specialist
Phone: 860-270-8091
Email: tawny.pho@ct.gov

View CT811 requirements


HeadStart on Housing
This collaborative program with the Office of Early Childhood provides dedicated housing vouchers to Connecticut Early Head Start or Head Start families as a crucial stabilizing step toward ending family homelessness.
𠊌ontact info: Department of Housing
Dr. Shante Hanks, Sr Advisor, Education & Housing Stability
Email: shante.hanks@ct.gov

Learn more about HeadStart on Housing (PDF)


Housing help for older adults and people with disabilities
Use these options if you are an older adult or a resident with a disability looking for specialized living arrangements, moving transitions, or financial help with your housing costs.


Assisted Living Demonstration Program
If you want to live independently but need help with daily routines, this program offers you subsidized assisted living care. It is designed for older adults who need some daily support but do not need full-time nursing home care. To qualify, you must live in one of four specific community sites in Connecticut.𠊌heck Assisted Living Demonstration sites and rules (PDF)


Cash rebates for older adults and residents with disabilities
If you are 65 or older, or are 18 or older with a permanent disability, you can get a yearly check from the State to help pay your housing costs. This program reimburses you for a part of the rent and utilities you paid last year.
View Renter’s Rebate Program rules


Elderly Rental Assistance Program (ERAP)
If you are a low-income older adult living in a DOH-assisted rental housing community, this program can provide you with a direct monthly rent subsidy. The State partners with local housing authorities and non-profits to run these spaces.

Please Note: This program is permanently closed and is no longer accepting new participants. Current monthly benefits for seniors already enrolled in the program are not changed.
View ERAP status


Moving out of a nursing home (Money Follows the Person)
If you have lived in a nursing home or specialized hospital for at least 60 days and your care is paid for by Medicaid, this program helps you move back into your own house or apartment. The State provides a personal coordinator and funding to help you buy basic furniture and set up home health care.𠊌heck Money Follows the Person (MFP) information



Moving help, rental assistance, and legal protection
Use these options if you need financial help moving into a new home, want to get money back from the State, or need to defend your rights against unfair rent increases.

Security Deposit Guarantee Program (SDGP)
This program is for low-income families facing financial hardships, people that are chronically homelessness, or people in a long-term emergency shelter situation. You cannot apply for SDGP directly. To use it, you must get a referral from your local Coordinated Access Network (CAN).

If you find an apartment but cannot afford the upfront deposit, the State can give your landlord an official written guarantee certificate for up to two months' rent instead of cash. If you owe back rent or cause damages when you move out, the State pays your landlord. 
𠊌ontact info: Department of Housing
Diana Berube, Housing Specialist

Phone: 860-908-7387
Email: diana.berube@ct.gov

Learn more about the Security Deposit Guarantee Program (SDGP)

Protection from unfair rent hikes
A Fair Rent Commission is a special board run by your local town or city. If your landlord raises your rent by an amount that feels unreasonable, you have the legal right to file an official complaint with your town's commission to investigate the building, freeze the price, or stop the increase.
Find your local Fair Rent Commission


Need a different program?
If this resource does not match what you are looking for, you can browse our full directory of State, federal, and municipal housing tools.
View all housing programs in CT