Southern Californians received $2.2 billion in rent relief

State and local rent relief programs have approved $2.2 billion in back rent for almost 200,000 Southern California tenants in an “unparalleled” program that’s about to expire, program numbers show.

More than $1.6 billion went to tenants and landlords in Los Angeles County over the past year. An additional $309 million went to Orange County residents and nearly $247 million went to residents in the Inland Empire.

“These efforts are unparalleled in our state’s history, with the state program distributing assistance at a pace and scale that is unrivaled across the country,” state Housing and Community Development Director Gustavo Velasquez said in a letter to lawmakers on Friday, March 25.

Thursday, March 31, is the last day tenants and landlords can apply for most programs in the region.

But state officials said they plan to continue processing applications, using state revenue to cover any shortfall in federal funding. That should guarantee unpaid rent caused by COVID-19 disruptions should get paid for virtually every eligible tenant in the state, a state housing spokeswoman said.

Legislators also are working on a bill to extend eviction protections for applicants — also set to expire on Thursday — through June 30. The measure passed the Assembly on Monday and is expected to be heard on the Senate floor Thursday morning.

In his letter to lawmakers, Velasquez requested an extension through July, instead of June, to give the housing department enough time to process all the applications. A spokeswoman for the bill’s author said, however, it won’t be possible to add more time under constitutional rules.

The rent-relief program is open to low-income renters who suffered a loss of income or other financial hardship due to COVID-19. It provides funding to cover rent payments missed since April 2020.

California received about $5.4 billion to cover unpaid tenant rent from two federal stimulus bills passed in 2020-21.

A patchwork of state and local programs were ramped up from scratch in early 2021 and began accepting applications in March of last year.

Fewer than half of those who applied for rental assistance in Southern California have been approved so far, although some applicants may not be eligible or may have filed duplicate applications.

More than a half million tenants and landlords applied for rent relief in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, a Southern California News Group tally of local programs shows. Of those, 198,420 – 39% of total applications – have been approved so far.

The four Southern California counties have accounted for 41% of California’s total federal allocation.

State and local programs faced accusations of being overly bureaucratic and slow in processing applications. In their defense, state officials say California’s system has worked faster than those in most other states, with the pace picking up steam as the program went on.

But a report by National Equity Atlas found 366,000 California renters were still waiting for assistance as of March 22.

“At the current rate of approvals, some will still be waiting for a decision at Thanksgiving,” the report said.

“The program implementation has honestly been a mess,” said Amy Schur, campaign director for the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE).

Schur said large number of applicants who qualify have been denied, adding that lots of applicants who requested forms be sent in Spanish kept getting communications in English.

“Apparently there is very high turnover of the frontline staff which has meant that many applicants have gotten the runaround — inaccurate information or incorrect requirements they can’t meet,” Schur added.

Tara Williams, 50, a foster parent who has rented a one-story house in central Los Angeles for 11 years, said her application for more than $30,000 in rental assistance got rejected because she struggled with the website to provide all the paperwork needed. An appeal of her rejection is pending, she said.

“I’m trying to be optimistic and hopeful,” Williams said of her application. “If they have more money, I’m hopeful. If they use up all the funds, I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

But Huntington Beach landlord and property manager Jacob Canter, 32, said he’s “thrilled” with the program after it paid $11,600 for back rent and future rent through April for tenants of a three-bedroom condo he owns in Anaheim. His tenants stopped paying their full rent last August.

He applied to Anaheim’s rent relief program in January and received the payment about two weeks ago.

“I think it’s great for people who can’t pay the rent,” Canter said. “I’m thrilled with (the program).”

Where to apply

To apply for the following areas, go to HousingIsKey.com:

• Los Angeles County (outside the city of Long Beach)
• Orange County (outside the cities of Santa Ana and Anaheim)
• San Bernardino County (outside the city of San Bernardino)

Residents of these cities must apply to their local programs:

• Long Beach: www.longbeach.gov/rentalassistance (deadline to apply is 4 p.m. March 31)
• Anaheim: Anaheim.net/rentassistance or call 714-765-4300, ext. 4890
• City of Santa Ana: santa-ana.org/rental-assistance (eligible Santa Ana residents can also apply to the state program if they applied to the city first. )

The March 31 deadline does not apply to these areas:

• Riverside County: unitedlift.org
• The city of San Bernardino (although a March 31 deadline is under consideration): sbcityrent.com

Source: Orange County Register