A residential street in Wicker Park in Chicago. (WTTW News)

Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced on Wednesday that Illinois’ ban on evictions would be extended until Oct. 22, as state officials work to get grants to Illinois residents struggling to make ends meet.

Pritzker has extended the ban on evictions three times since he lifted the stay-at-home order at the end of May, when the state began to make significant progress in slowing the spread of the coronavirus.

State officials are in the process of notifying those who won grants from a lottery used to distribute more than $300 million in help to landlords and tenants struggling to make ends meet. Funds began to flow on Thursday to those who applied for assistance paying their rent and mortgage, and should be completed by Oct. 31, according to officials with the Illinois Housing Development Authority.

Those $5,000 grants would be paid directly to landlords on behalf of tenants, and to loan companies for property owners, officials said.

The program is designed to help 30,000 renters in Illinois, officials said.

Chicagoans who lost their jobs or found their paychecks scaled back because of the coronavirus pandemic are protected from evictions for an additional two months after the state’s ban ends under a measure approved in June by the Chicago City Council.

Chicago and Cook County officials also offered grants to help those who lost their jobs or saw their paychecks scaled back because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]