Emergency Rental Assistance Program in LA

THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES 2021 EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM OPENS MARCH 30TH to assist low-income renters who have been economically impacted by COVID-19

The City of Los Angeles’ Housing + Community Investment Department (HCIDLA) announced on Friday that the City’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) will be accepting new applications beginning at 8:00 AM, Tuesday, March 30th, and closing at 11:59 PM, Friday, April 30, 2021.

The City of Los Angeles, in partnership with the federal government and the State of California, has created a new emergency rental assistance program to assist low-income renters who have been unable to pay their rent due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The City’s 2021 ERAP is for LA renters and rental property owners and will be administered by HCIDLA. The program is providing $235,500,000 in federal and state emergency rental assistance funds to support low income households in paying rent arrears for renters impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The program is open to all low income renters living in the City of Los Angeles, regardless of immigration status.

ELIGIBILITY

Households must meet the following program requirements to qualify for renters assistance in this round:

1. Residents of the City of Los Angeles, regardless of immigration status.

2. One or more adults within the household have experienced unemployment or a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced other financial hardship due directly or indirectly to the COVID-19 pandemic;

3. The household income is at or below 50% of the area median income (AMI). Priority will be given to households with lower incomes at or below 30% of AMI, followed by those earning less than 50%. Subject to funding availability, applications may be opened later to households earning up to 80% of AMI.

Income qualification for the City's ERAP: the combined household incomes of all adults (18 and over) must be 50% or less of the Area Median Income, adjusted for household size. These figures are defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (Effective April 2020). APPLYING Option A: A cooperative approach for tenants and landlords to participate in the COVID-19 Emergency Rent Relief Program together. Program payments will be made to landlords to reimburse 80% of eligible renters' unpaid rent accrued between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021, however, the landlord must agree to waive the remaining 20% of the unpaid rent for that same period of time. Either landlords or tenants can initiate applications. Assistance amounts will be based on the amount of back rent owed. Program funds will be paid directly to the tenant’s landlord on behalf of the tenant, provided the landlord agrees to the program terms. Option B: Available to eligible renters after their landlords have declined to participate, payments will be limited to 25% of the unpaid rent that was accrued between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021, as well as financial assistance to pay 25% of up to three months' future rent from April - June 2021. City of Los Angeles renters, and landlords applying on behalf of their tenants, are encouraged to apply online at the HCIDLA website at: hcidla.lacity.org beginning March 30th through April 30th, 2021. Applicants with limited online access can call the ERAP Hotline 833-373-0587, from 8 AM to 8 PM, starting Tuesday, March 30th through April 30th. TTY will also be available for persons with hearing or speech impairments. Applications and phone support will also be available in multiple languages.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Applications received between March 30 and April 9 will be selected through a randomized process to determine the order of review for the first group. Applications received from April 10th through April 30 will be selected through a second randomized process. The last day to apply for this round April 30, 2021. Priority will be given to tenants who earn less than 30% of the area median income and to households who have experienced ninety (90) days or more of unemployment. Regardless of participation in any rental assistance program, all tenants impacted by COVID-19 are still protected by both city and state emergency renter protections currently in effect. The ERAP is for City of L.A. residents only. Tenants who live in the greater LA County area (87 cities), but do not live in the City of L.A., can apply for rental assistance with the State of California at: housingiskey.com, or through their own City program if available. To verify that an address is in the City of Los Angeles, visit: neighborhoodinfo.lacity.org. For more information and “Frequently Asked Questions” about the program, visit hcidla.lacity.org. Public inquiries about the program, can be submitted to: Ask-HCIDLA (hcidla.lacity.org/ask-hcidla).