Starting Nov. 16, Beverly Hills tenants impacted by COVID-19 can apply for a rent subsidy to help alleviate some of the burden. Residents will have three weeks, through Dec. 7, to apply for the subsidy, which will be a monthly payment of the balance of unpaid rent up to $1,000, paid directly to the landlord, for a maximum period of three months.

On Nov. 10, the City Council unanimously voted to appropriate $450,000 from the general fund, bringing the total available rent subsidy funds to $1.1 million. As part of the vote, the council mandated that the rent subsidy program be further discussed on Dec. 1 with the intention of raising the available amount.

“If we don’t use it, we don’t use it – but I want it to be here for our residents,” Councilman John Mirisch said, noting that he believed the amount should be “significantly higher.”

“I just feel it’s an important thing to do to support the residents,” he added. “We’re really in a situation where our residents are hurting.”

City Attorney Larry Wiener noted that it wouldn’t be until March 2021 when tenants would need to once again resume paying rent once the rent moratorium in Beverly Hills is lifted. Under AB 3088, tenants in California impacted by COVID-19 from Sept. 1 through Jan. 31, 2021, must pay at least 25% of the rent due to avoid eviction.

Vice Mayor Bob Wunderlich originally initiated the idea of Beverly Hills having a rent subsidy at the end of June.

“I view it as fiscally responsible because this is a direct benefit to our residents,” Councilwoman Lili Bosse said. “This is really about people who are hurting in what is clearly the hardest time in recent history. I think it’s our duty to help our residents.”

According to Deputy Director of Rent Stabilization Helen Morales, all tenants living in units under the city’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance, as well as all landlords who had registered on the city’s Rent Registry, received information alerting them to the opportunity to apply for the subsidy.

“I would hope that we would be able to make payments starting in December,” she said.

Bosse expressed frustration that the program has taken so long to move forward, noting, “We voted on this quite a while ago, and we still haven’t funded it.”

The Beverly Hills City Council unanimously voted to move forward with instituting the rent subsidy program at its Sept. 15 formal meeting.

As per the Council direction, priority will be given to seniors (age 65-plus) and households with children registered in the Beverly Hills Unified School District. Forty-two percent of enrolled BHUSD students reside in rent-stabilized units.

Morales anticipated the city would receive 300 to 400 applications during the three-week period. Just over 300 Beverly Hills tenants have filled out the city’s COVID-19 form, she said.

The city has contracted with Jewish Family Services to administer the rent subsidy program, which includes qualifying applicants.

“As soon as the tenant is qualified, we’re going to start making distribution payments. So as soon as we can get these applications in and looked at and reviewed and analyzed and a determination made that they’re qualified, we’ll get those payments out,” Morales said.