L.A. City Council President Nury Martinez announced the rent relief fund with Councilmen Herb Wesson, left, and Mitch O’Farrell on May 27. (photo courtesy of the city of Los Angeles)
The Los Angeles City Council approved an allocation of $100 million on June 23 for the city’s Renters Relief Program, the largest such program established by a city in the United States.
The Renters Relief Fund was created through a motion authored by Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez, 6th District, and Councilmen Mitch O’Farrell, 13th District, and Herb Wesson, 10th District. The $100 million will come from federal funds allocated to Los Angeles under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. The City Council first approved the relief fund on May 27, and gave final approval on June 23 after receiving a report from the Los Angeles Housing + Community Investment Department on the logistics of implementing the program.
“I am reminded every day during this ongoing pandemic that people, especially those in disenfranchised communities, are struggling,” Martinez said. “This program will help tens of thousands of Angelenos, and that’s wonderful. My concern remains that we need substantially more assistance from the White House and our federal government if we are going to meet the housing needs of Angelenos and people throughout the nation.”
In addition to the $100 million, O’Farrell, Wesson and Councilmen Paul Koretz, 5th District, and John Lee, 12th District, earmarked approximately $3 million in discretionary funds for the program.
“Pulling together at every level of government as never before is required to keep people housed and businesses open during this unprecedented time.” O’Farrell said. “Much more is needed, but this $100 million rent subsidy program is a great start. Allocating this funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act will help stabilize thousands of families in Los Angeles. Previously, I allocated an additional $1 million for distressed renters in my district. The recovery will be hard enough without people having to worry about how to stay housed and put food on the table while meeting their financial obligations.”
The HCID determined the program could help approximately 50,000 households with two months of assistance, with a total of $2,000 being awarded to each recipient. The program will be divided into two sections, August-September and October-November.
To qualify, tenants must earn 80% or less of the average median income in their neighborhood. The plan is to provide half of the funding to low-income households earning 30% or less of the average median income, one-quarter to those earning 50% or below the AMI, and the remainder to people earning 80% or below the AMI.
The program will also help property owners, as the checks for renters who are approved will be issued directly to landlords. They will be required to adhere to rules including not issuing evictions for six months.
Details about registration for the program will be announced soon. Registration will take place over five days in July, followed by a lottery to determine recipients. Renters will be able to register by telephone and online. For information and updates, people are advised to visit hcidla.lacity.org and nury-martinez.com.
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