Gov. Edwards expands COVID-19 emergency rental assistance program to include utilities By WAFB Staff Published: May. 7, 2021 at 4:17 PM CDT|Updated: May. 7, 2021 at 10:51 AM CDT Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Gov. John Bel Edwards announced today (Friday, May 7) the expansion of the State of Louisiana’s U.S. Treasury Emergency Rental Assistance Program to include utility assistance. The program focuses on providing financial assistance to Louisiana renters and landlords experiencing financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the expansion, the state-administered program now provides assistance for past-due rent and utility fees dating back to April 2020, as well as future rent for eligible applicants.