EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE TOOLKIT: “HOW-TO”
RESOURCES FOR EQUITABLE & EFFECTIVE PROGRAMS
This resource was developed by the National League of Cities and the Stanford Legal Design Lab
based on partnerships with the five city participants of the Emergency Rental Assistance Technical
Assistance Program. Additional resources for local governments implementing or refining an ERA
program can be found at nlc.org/resource/emergency-rental-assistance-toolkit.
EVICTION PREVENTION OUTREACH MATERIAL TEMPLATES:
Customizable Digital and “Oine”
Communication Collateral
Presented here are templates and examples of graphics that can be used for
outreach eorts related to emergency rental assistance and eviction prevention. This
includes posts for Instagram (in single grid image, carousel and story formats), along
with sample program flyers, service directories and process infographics.
These templates were created and are editable through Canva, an online design and
publishing tool, and oer dierent ways to present information about an emergency
rental assistance program or related eviction prevention services. Guidance about
customizing these templates is provided in the How to Use Canva Templates section
at the end of this resource.
NOTE: These designs and templates were developed by the Stanford
Legal Design Lab on behalf of city participants in the Emergency Rental
Assistance Technical Assistance Program and to benefit other local
partners. They do not necessarily reflect the intent or branding of any
cities highlighted. They are free to use, and all the artwork, images, videos,
(graphic) designs, audio files and any other materials created by the
Stanford Legal Design Lab are licensed under the Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).
Templates for Digital Communication
Customize these templates for use on social media or for distribution through other
digital platforms. Though designed with Instagram as the intended social media
platform, they can also be repurposed and resized for additional platforms such as
Facebook or Twitter.
"Do You Need Help?"
Carousel Post
Emergency Help Available Event Promotion #1
Event Promotion #2 Animated Informational Post Services by Location
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Templates for Paper-Based
or “Oine” Outreach
Customize these templates to develop communication materials intended for
“oine” distribution, such as flyers or posters.
Resource Directory by Region
or Service
ERA Program Overview Emergency Rent Process
“Get Help with Rent” Steps Resource Directory by Scenario Service Directory by Type
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How to Use Canva Templates
To use and customize these templates, first create a free Canva account at
www.canva.com and then follow the steps listed:
1. Select the template you want to edit in Canva
This resource oers a compilation of dierent styles and formats for
communication materials. For the templates provided on pages 4–7 of this
document, click on the link that corresponds with the template that best fits your
needs, and select “Use Template” when redirected to the design on Canva.
2. Click on the text box where you would like to edit the
text, and type in the new text
If the text overflows, you can resize it by changing the font size number in the
top menu bar.
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3. Customize images and add additional graphic elements
Update the template with regionally-specific photos, images or logos.
Select “Uploads” from the menu bar on the lefthand side to upload a new
image, or to select from images you have already uploaded to Canva.
Select “Elements” from the menu bar on the lefthand side to insert an
image or graphic from Canva’s stock library.
4. Move and/or resize images as necessary
To move an image, click and hold to drag it with your mouse. To resize an image,
select it and drag the corners of the image in or out.
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5. Adjust the colors of the background, text
and graphic elements
Customize the colors used in the template to reflect the branding and color
scheme of the relevant city, program or organization.
Select the element that you would like to change the color of and click on the
“Color” icon on the upper lefthand side. Adjust the color by selecting a new
default color, choosing a color from a saved Brand Kit, or by searching for a color
by name or by hex color code.
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6. Save and download your newly designed graphic
Canva automatically saves your work. To use a graphic, download it by selecting
“Share” from the top righthand corner.
If you are going to post the image to social media, download it as a PNG file. To
use the graphic for nondigital distribution, download the file as PDF Print.
NOTE: Resize graphics using the sliding scale shown in Canva
after selecting “Download.” Size requirements for dierent
social media platforms are pre-set within Canva, and are
noted in the related resource, “Using Social Media to Increase
Participation in Emergency Rental Assistance Programs.”
TIP: Additional guidance regarding how to edit and design with
templates is available through the Canva Help Center.
Acknowledgements: This research was funded by The Annie E. Casey Foundation, Inc., and we thank them for their support;
however, the findings and conclusions presented in this report are those of the author(s) alone and do not necessarily reflect
the opinions of the Foundation.
