Last Updated October 8th 2026
If you owe back rent:
You may qualify for Cunningham Township’s Rental Assistance Program if you:
- Live in Cunningham Township (most of the City of Urbana)
- Have recurring income
- AND have not already received rental assistance from Cunningham Township, City of Champaign Township, or RPC in the past 2 years.
Important: Cunningham Township can only provide up to 2 months of market-rate rent at this time. If your landlord has filed for eviction, applicants must seek assistance from IHDA Court-Based Rental Assistance. Cunningham Township will only assess a Rental Assistance application if you are determined ineligible for this program.
For assistance in completing the application with IHDA, contact Habitat for Humanity: (217) 359-0507
Required documents to submit with your application for rent assistance:
- Completed application
- Photo IDs for all adult members of the household
- A signed current lease for your current unit or an unsigned lease offer for your intended unit.
- Proof of Income (paystubs, award letters, etc) for the past 30 days, including name, for all adult members of the household.
- For those applying for assistance with back rent: a rental ledger displaying your name, address, and all payments/charges to your account since you last had a $0 balance.
Paper applications can be found posted outside the front door of our office at 205 W Green Street in Urbana, even outside of business hours.
Completed paper applications and supporting documents can be submitted to the front desk during business hours. If outside of business hours, documents can be submitted to the mail slot in our office front door or via email to info@ctso.org.
Applications will not be considered complete unless all required documents are submitted.
I was approved for Rental Assistance; what happens next?
Households that are approved for assistance will have a check mailed from our office directly to their landlord. Following this, households may expect a follow-up call in 6-18 months to assess household needs.
As a reminder, households are only eligible to receive Rental Assistance once every 2 years from Cunningham Township, City of Champaign Township, and the Regional Planning Commission.
If you have questions, please email or call us at 217-384-4144. Applications may take up to 30 days to process and expire after 30 days.
Did you know…?
In Fiscal Year 2026 (July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026), Cunningham Township provided $436,917 in Rental Assistance to over 300 households, with an average award of $1,300!
92.5% of approved applicants received assistance for back rent.