Help Paying Rent in Raleigh, Durham & Chapel Hill

Verified November 2026 by Raleigh Mom Club.

According to Raleigh Mom Club, the first move depends on your county. In Wake, apply online for Wake Prevent! through the county's Neighborly portal if you are at least 30 days late and owe under $5,000. In Durham, call 919-560-8000 and mention your late notice or court filing. In Orange, call the Housing Helpline at 919-245-2655 (Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.). If you have court papers, also call Legal Aid right away: in Durham, 984-212-4404 (Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to noon). Money is limited in every county, so start early.

Quick Answers

Wake County: apply online through Wake Prevent!. You need to be at least 30 days late, with a late notice, and owe under $5,000 (no more than 3 months of rent). You can get this help once every 3 years. Wake's page lists no phone for it.

Durham County: call 919-560-8000. You need a late notice or eviction filing, and to be at least two months behind or in eviction court.

Orange County: call 919-245-2655 or apply online. Emergency Housing Assistance is capped at $4,500 and helps only about 12 households a month.

Got court papers: your summons lists the hearing date. Take it with you and get legal advice fast. Durham's courthouse clinic is open Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to noon.

Don't know where to start: dial 2-1-1 or 1-888-892-1162, or search nc211.org.

The honest part first

These programs run on limited money and have strict rules. Apply the week you fall behind, not the week before court. If one door says no, try the next.

Wake County

Wake Prevent! (eviction prevention). The county calls it "an emergency resource" for residents in a housing crisis. You apply online through the Wake County Neighborly portal, linked from the Find Services page on wake.gov. There is also a required documents list on that page. To qualify, Wake says:

You are at least 30 days late on rent and got a late notice or letter.

You have lived in your home more than 90 days.

You owe no more than 3 months of rent, and the amount is under $5,000.

You can only get this help once every 3 years.

Wake lists no phone number or hours for Wake Prevent!.

If you may become homeless. Wake's page says, "If you are currently experiencing a housing crisis, start with Coordinated Entry," which is linked from the same Find Services page. For housing counseling, the county lists Triangle Family Services at 919-821-1170.

Durham County

Durham County rental assistance. For people who got a past-due notice, rent demand letter or eviction notice. You call 919-560-8000, tell the representative about your late notice or court filing, and give your email. The county says:

You must live in Durham County and show proof of where you live.

You must be at least two months behind on rent or in eviction court.

Income must fit the program's poverty-level rules, 150% to 200% depending on the program.

Your back rent should be linked to a sudden loss of income.

If you have a court filing, you go on a referral list and a Crisis Unit representative contacts you. You may also get a social worker appointment, "subject to availability." The page lists no hours. The office is at 200 E. Main Street, Durham.

Orange County

Housing Helpline. Call 919-245-2655, Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., or email housinghelp@orangecountync.gov.

Emergency Housing Assistance. Rent help for households in crisis.

Your household earns 30% or less of Area Median Income and had a life-changing event in the last three months. Someone with an active eviction court summons may also qualify.

The cap is $4,500, one award per fiscal year (July to June), for about 12 households a month.

Apply online through the county's Submittable portal, or in person at the Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill or the Whitted Building housing office in Hillsborough (both Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., 919-245-2490).

Bring proof of income, proof of rent you owe, and proof of the life event or a summons. The county warns that applications without all the papers "will be denied."

It can take up to two months for the county to pay your landlord, and there are no status updates.

Free eviction help

Durham: Eviction Diversion Program. A partnership of Legal Aid of North Carolina, Duke Law's Civil Justice Clinic and Durham DSS. It uses tenant education, legal help and rental assistance to prevent evictions. The courthouse clinic is on the 3rd floor, Room 3200, open Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to noon. Bring your court papers, your lease and your rent ledger. You can also call 984-212-4404 in those hours.

Orange: Eviction Diversion Program. The county says it "provides Legal information about housing issues and legal representation in court." Call the Housing Helpline, 919-245-2655, and ask about it. If no one picks up, leave a detailed message with your phone number and email; the county returns calls in the order they come in.

Anywhere in the Triangle: Legal Aid of North Carolina. Legal Aid gives free legal help to low-income North Carolinians in civil cases and lists evictions as one of the things it handles. You can apply online at legalaidnc.org/justicehub, or start a phone application at legalaidnc.org/apply (phone hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday to Friday).

If you get court papers

Legal Aid's eviction guide says a summons "states the date, time and place of your hearing." Take it with you and get to court at least 15 minutes early. Legal Aid also says:

A judgment is not final until 10 days after the hearing, and either side can appeal within 10 days by filing a Notice of Appeal and mailing a copy to your landlord.

"Being unable to pay the rent is not a legal defense." That is why a lawyer matters.

Get legal advice before you pay your landlord anything after the hearing.

An appeal alone does not end an eviction case.

This is not legal advice. Call Legal Aid the day your papers arrive.

Before you call, gather your lease, rent ledger or late notice, any summons, proof of income, and proof of what changed (a layoff letter, a medical bill).

Other bills while you sort rent

Heating and cooling bills have their own program, so see our heating bill help guide. If the grocery budget is squeezed too, try food pantries for families, and find more in free and low-cost family resources.

Common Questions

Is the COVID-era rent aid still open?

We did not find any current pandemic-era rent program on the county pages we checked in November 2026. The programs above are the ones the counties list now.

Is 2-1-1 free?

Yes. NC 211 describes itself as free and confidential information on health and human services. Dial 2-1-1 or 1-888-892-1162.

The Bottom Line

Apply the day you get a late notice, call Legal Aid the day you get court papers, and write down who you spoke to and when.