Emergency Housing Assistance

The EHA program assists households in Orange County with emergency housing costs. Emergency means you are facing eviction and/or utility disconnection, or you are exiting homelessness. 

  • There are no income requirements to receive assistance, however, we do require proof of income to request assistance.
  • You may apply for assistance until you have reached our program cap ($6,000 in a calendar year). 
  • Due to the high demand for assistance, we do not process applications until we have all the necessary documentation. 

Have you received an eviction notice and/or utility disconnection notice?
 ☐ Yes                   ☐ No  

Are you homeless (couch surfing, living in your car, on the street, staying with relatives, etc.)
 ☐ Yes                   ☐ No 

If you answered no to both of these questions, you do not qualify for EHA assistance. Please contact the Housing Helpline for other community resources for help with your housing needs, 919-245-2655 (Monday-Friday, 10 am-4pm) or housinghelp@orangecountync.gov, anytime. 

If you answered yes to either question, we may be able to help you with

  • past due rent, 
  • past due utilities 
  • security deposits, 
  • application fees*
  • late pet and other fees to landlords, 
  • internet (must be a documented work related cost), and 
  • housing related court fees. 

    *We pay application fees if we can pay with a credit card on the landlord's website. We do not issue emergency paper checks. We only process two requests for this type of assistance each calendar year.

Apply Today 
**Due to the number of requests we receive for assistance, we will not process any application until we have all required documents.**

 
Option 1: Online (here) 

  1. Create an account, confirm it using the link that will be sent to your email, and sign into your account.
  2. Under "Start a New Application", select Emergency Housing Assistance in order for your application to go through. 
  3. Be sure to click "Complete & Continue" after each section of the application is complete. You can also click "Save" to come back and complete a section later.
  4. Submit your application through the portal once all sections are complete and you have provided all documents needed to process your request. 

 Option 2: Download an application (here)

  1. Fill out the application by hand or on your computer or phone
  2. Submit your application by 

Option 3: Pick up an application in
Hillsborough - Whitted Building, 300 W. Tryon St, 3rd floor (Google Map | Circulator Route) or 
Chapel Hill - Southern Human Services Center, 2501 Homestead Rd (Google Map | HS Bus Route) 

Submit your application by 

Option 4: Contact Housing Helpline  


If you need help with mortgage payments, please contact the NC Homeowner Assistance Fund. If they cannot be of help, we may be able to assist you if you are facing eviction.

Note: The County has an Eviction Diversion program where you can get free legal advice. Contact the Housing Helpline for a referral. 919-245-2655, Monday-Friday, 10am-4pm or housinghelp@orangecountync.gov

question markQuestions

Contact the Housing Helpline at housinghelp@orangecountync.gov or (919) 245-2655, Monday-Friday, 10am-4pm. Or stop by our Chapel Hill location, Tuesdays or Thursdays, 8:30am-4pm for in-person help.