After the city stopped accepting applications last April 30, Los Angeles City’s rent aid program is starting to accept applicants again starting on September 1.
$260 million from the state and federal government is added as part of a second phase of the aid program, as promised when the program stopped accepting applicants due to the demand having exceeded prepared funds.
The Assistance Program said they would be informing the public if additional funds have been added and now, five months later, tenants and landlords will find out if they could be able to apply for rent aid.
To be eligible, a household must be obligated to pay rent on a residential dwelling and meet the following requirements:
- Applicants must be residents of the City of Los Angeles, regardless of immigration status. To verify you live in the City of Los Angeles go to: neighborhoodinfo.lacity.org;
- One or more individuals within the household have qualified for unemployment benefits or experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced other financial hardship, directly or indirectly, due to the COVID-19 outbreak;
- The household income is at or below 50% of the area median income (AMI).
According to the Renters Assistance Program’s website, the eligible applicants will be chosen through a random selection process to participate. The program is required to give priority to paying past-due, unpaid rent.
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If selected, the program will now pay 100% of a tenant’s past-due rent beginning on April 1, 2020, due to recent changes to the City and State’s rental assistance program.
Landlords who have participated in the program and have been paid 80% of a tenant’s unpaid rent will receive an additional check of 20% to cover the tenant’s full unpaid rent between April 1, 2020, through March 31, 2021.
Priority will be given to applications from households with 2020 household income at or below 30% of the Area Median Income and whose application reported rental arrears beginning on April 1, 2020.
Applicants that do not meet this eligibility priority will be processed at a later time.
To apply, visit the website, HousingIsKey.com, starting at 7 a.m. on Sept. 1. For more information, please visit https://hcidla.lacity.org/
