Eligible Los Angeles renters in need of rent relief amid the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic can apply for $2,000 in funds from the city next week.
Registration for the city’s Emergency Renters Relief Program will begin next Monday, July 13, and conclude Friday, July 17. Residents who qualify for assistance can apply by going to hcidla.lacity.org from 8 a.m. Monday to 11:59 p.m. Friday.
Those who don’t have internet access can register by calling 844-944-1868 from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. between next Monday and Friday.
The announcement was made Wednesday by the City of Los Angeles Housing and Community Investment Department.
The $103 million COVID-19 rental assistance program is the largest of of its kind in any U.S. city, officials said. It’s open to all L.A. renters in multifamily units who make 80% or less of the average median income, which is $58,450 for one person or $83,500 for a family of four.
Applicants will have to demonstrate financial hardship caused by the recent public health emergency, such as: lost income because of reduced hours or from their place of employment being closed; loss of income or increased child care care costs due to school and day care closures; medical costs associated from illness due to the novel coronavirus; and lost income because of emergency measures ordered by the government after March 13, 2020.
Immigration status won’t factor in eligibility for the program, according to a news release from the office of L.A. City Council President Nury Martinez.
“We know people throughout the City of Los Angeles need assistance – particularly our working poor and disenfranchised communities, who are hit hardest by both the health and economic impacts of COVID-19,” said Martinez, the measure’s author.
Applicants will be randomly chosen to verify documentation before being approved to receive the funds. Registering early will not provide applicants with an advantage and everyone will have the same opportunity to be selected, the release stated.
The rent subsidy is $2,000 for two months, or $1,000 each month, and will be paid directly to the landlord. About 50,000 households will benefit from the program.
Most of the money — about $100 million — will come from the city’s stimulus money from the federal CARES Act, according to the release.
But even as the city prepares to offer some assistance, Martinez said the federal government must do more to ensure residents don’t lose their homes.
“Demand will be high and serves as a reminder that the federal government must offer billions more in housing assistance if we are going to help all who need assistance to remain in their homes during and after this pandemic,” she said.
More information on the city’s Emergency Renters Relief Program can be found by going to hcidla.lacity.org or by emailing Sandra Mendoza with HCIDLA at Sandra.mendoza@lacity.org.
