Cook County Renters Can Apply for FEMA Assistance

CHICAGO – Renters in Cook County with uninsured or under insured losses from the Sept. 17-18, 2023 severe storms and flooding can apply for FEMA assistance.

FEMA’s assistance programs are designed to help you with basic, critical needs such as a safe, sanitary and accessible place to live. These programs are available to renters, including students. Renters may also qualify for a grant under FEMA’s Other Needs Assistance program for uninsured essential personal property losses and other disaster-related expenses. These may include:

Replacement or repair of necessary personal property, such as furniture, appliances, clothing, textbooks, or school supplies.
Replacement or repair of tools and other job-related equipment required by the self-employed.
If your primary vehicle was damaged by the storms and is no longer operable (and the vehicle complies with state registration and insurance requirements) FEMA may be able to help. Not all damage is covered, so check with FEMA to see if your vehicle is eligible.
Uninsured or out-of-pocket medical, dental, childcare, moving and storage expenses. FEMA grants do not have to be repaid and FEMA assistance is nontaxable and will not affect eligibility for Social Security, Medicaid or other federal benefits.

Renters can apply for assistance one of four ways:

Visit DisasterAssistance.gov.
Use the FEMA mobile app.
Call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362. Multilingual operators are available. If you use video relay service, captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA your number for that service.
Visit a Disaster Recovery Center. The centers serve as one-stop shops for survivors who need one-on-one help. Survivors can visit any center for assistance. To find center locations and current hours, visit FEMA.gov/DRC.

More than $27 million in FEMA assistance has already been approved for survivors.

For more information about Cook County’s recovery, visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4749.

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Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency, or economic status. Reasonable accommodations, including translation and American Sign Language interpreters will be available to ensure effective communication with applicants with limited English proficiency, disabilities, and access and functional needs. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-3362. If you use video relay service, captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA your number for that service.