Wyoming is the only state so far to reallocate federal emergency rental assistance (ERA) funding to a tribe. The U.S. Department of Treasury provided funding directly to states, U.S. territories, local governments and, in the case of ERA1, Indian tribes. Recent Treasury guidelines have allowed programs to reallocate ERA1 funding to authorized entities, which are the State of Wyoming, Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho in Wyoming.

“Thanks to the leadership of the Governor’s Office, we have been able to reallocate funding to the Northern Arapaho Tribe to help households in their community,” Department of Family Services Director Korin Schmidt said. “Kudos must also be given to the Northern Arapaho Tribe, which funded non-tribal member households facing eviction before Wyoming’s state program launched last year. We all want to make it possible for eligible families and individuals to get the help that they need to keep a roof over their heads.”

The Northern Arapaho Tribal Housing Program has met the Treasury Department’s threshold to receive additional funding. The Northern Arapaho program assists households that are unable to pay rent and utilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information on the Northern Arapaho program, visit wrera.com.

ABOUT ERAP

The Wyoming Department of Family Services, with assistance from the Department of Workforce Services, is administering the state’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), a U.S. Treasury initiative passed through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 and expanded by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Learn more at dfs.wyo.gov/erap.