Los Angeles tenants can request a second round of rental assistance starting Tuesday

LOS ANGELES (KABC) – Renters in Los Angeles can now claim up to $ 10,000 in rent relief through the city’s $ 259 million COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program.

This second round of rental assistance, unanimously approved by the city council on March 2, opened on Tuesday. The relief program uses federal and state funding to help an estimated 64,000 families pay their rent owed, with $ 235 million in direct rent assistance and $ 3 million in eviction defense .

“The good thing about this (program) is that it goes backwards, it’s from April 1 of last year to March 31 of this year, so it’s not just about paying a month’s rent or two in advance. It’s about erasing this debt that is stressful for families today who are wondering whether or not they will be able to pay their rent, not just this month’s rent, ”Mayor Eric Garcetti said during the meeting. program announcement on March 23.

The first round of assistance provided 49,133 rent subsidies totaling $ 98.26 million, to help households that could not pay their rents due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The second round will focus on repaying previous household rent, with a maximum subsidy of $ 10,000.

“One year after the start of the pandemic, 90,000 Californians are still behind on their rent, the city’s unemployment is still over 10%, and families in our city owe between $ 4,000 and $ 7,000 in overdue rents. », Said the president of the city council, Nury Martinez.

“This program will bring working families closer to a stop closer to recovery,” she said, adding that the city’s work “is far from over.”

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In order to qualify for housing assistance, people who live in Los Angeles must have been affected by the pandemic and / or be unemployed for 90 days or more.

They must also have a combined household income equal to or less than 50% of the area’s median income, which is $ 39,450 per year for a one-person household, but priority will be given to tenants of 30% or less. of the area’s median income, which is $ 23,700 per year for a one-person household.

Tenants who wish to apply for the program have two options:

A cooperation between the tenant and the landlord to participate in the program, in which case the landlord will be reimbursed 80% of the unpaid rent of the eligible tenants accumulated between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021. As part of this cooperation, the landlord must waive the remaining 20% ​​of the unpaid rent.

If the landlord refuses to participate, the tenant will receive 25% of the unpaid rent accrued between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021, in addition to financial assistance to pay 25% of future rent up to three months from April to June. 2021.

Individuals are eligible regardless of their immigration status and applications will be chosen through a random selection process.

The application period will be open until April 30.

City News Service contributed to this report.