City of LA, Orange County launch new financial programs aimed at helping struggling renters
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The city of Los Angeles and Orange County have each launched new financial programs aimed at helping struggling renters.
Los Angeles on Tuesday enacted its Emergency Renters Assistance Program, with the intention of providing financial assistance toward back rent to low-income renters at risk of homelessness due to COVID-19 or other financial hardships.
The program, funded by Measure ULA funds, also known as the "mansion tax," will offer up to six months of rental assistance, and renters can apply online at any time during the application period at housing.lacity.org or by phone at (888) 379-3150, Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The application opens at 8 a.m. and ends Oct. 2 at 6 p.m.
According to the L.A. Housing Department, Angelenos must be eligible under the following requirements:
-- Be a resident of the city of L.A., regardless of immigration status. To verify if you live in the city, go to neighborhoodla.org.
-- One or more individuals within the household have experienced a loss of employment, reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced other financial hardship between March 2020 to present;
-- Have unpaid rent due to their current landlord for any month(s) between April 2020 to present; and
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-- The current household income is at or below 80% of the area medium income.
In Orange County, the Housing Choice Voucher Program's waiting list was opened for 12,000 applicants on Monday.
"If more than 12,000 applications are received, application preference will be given to those living or working in OCHA's jurisdiction, and then given in the following order: U.S. Veterans; elderly, disabled, or working families; and non-working families," according to the Orange County Housing Authority's website.
The program is open to Orange County residents except for those who live in Anaheim, Garden Grove and Santa Ana; those cities each operate a separate, similar program.
The Orange County program is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and enables OCHA to subsidize monthly rent payments for qualified applicants.
Applications can be submitted beginning through 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 29.
City News Service contributed to this report.
