LOS ANGELES – Mayor Karen Bass, Councilmember Nithya Raman and Los Angeles Housing Department General Manager Ann Sewill today encouraged eligible Angelenos to apply for emergency rental assistance after the application window for the United To House Los Angeles (ULA) Emergency Renters Assistance Program opened this morning at 8:00 AM PT. The application portal will remain open through October 2 at 6:00 PM PT.
“We must do more to keep people housed, and I want to make sure eligible Angelenos begin applying today for rent relief for back rent owed during the COVID-19 pandemic or if you are currently experiencing a short-term hardship,” said Mayor Karen Bass. “We must continue to do all that we can to prevent Angelenos from falling into homelessness and help ensure small landlords have access to resources as well. I want to thank the City Council for their work in approving the Measure ULA expenditure plan to provide much needed rental relief to Angelenos living in our City. We will do all we can to ensure that a wave of evictions does not hit our City as we continue confronting the homelessness crisis.”
“In order to address our City’s homelessness crisis, we must also do everything in our power to keep people housed— and this begins with providing urgently needed support for renters,” said Councilmember Nithya Raman, Chair of the City Council’s Housing and Homelessness Committee. “The Emergency Renters Assistance Program, funded through Measure ULA, will provide critical support for Angelenos experiencing financial distress, and I encourage everyone eligible to apply. As we continue to work toward creating 100% affordable housing across our City, we are taking steps toward preserving stability for our most vulnerable renters through this program.”
“The Emergency Rental Assistance Program is a vital opportunity for renters who owe back rent to resolve their debt and stay housed," said Ann Sewill, General Manager of the Los Angeles Housing Department. "I encourage Angelenos to go online or call the hotline to determine eligibility, and apply if eligible. The program will pay landlords up to 6 months of unpaid rent on behalf of tenants who have experienced a financial hardship."
The Emergency Renters Assistance Program was approved by City Council and signed by the Mayor earlier this year as part of continued efforts to reduce the amount of evictions in Los Angeles. More information is available below:
How can Angelenos apply?
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Call the Los Angeles Housing Department Hotline (888) 379-3150 Monday to Friday from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM
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Call the “We Are LA” hotline at 213-584-1808 Monday to Friday from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM, and Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
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Visit housing.lacity.org to apply online 24/7 until October 2, 2023
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Visit housing.lacity.org for information on in-person intake office locations
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For questions about the program, visit housing.lacity.org
How do you qualify?
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Applicants must be a resident of the City of Los Angeles. To check if you live in the City of Los Angeles, visit https://neighborhoodinfo.lacity.gov/.
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One or more individuals within the applying household must have experienced a loss of employment, reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced other financial hardship between March 2020 to present.
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Applicants must have unpaid rent due to their current landlord for any month(s) between April 2020 to present.
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The current household income of the applicant is at or below 80% of the area median income (AMI).
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Read more information about qualifying information here.
What about landlords?
The short term emergency assistance program will pay landlords up to 6 months of unpaid rent on behalf of tenants who have experienced financial hardship. Small landlords can also apply through the Short-term Emergency Assistance Portal. The application for small landlord assistance will open at 8:00 AM PT on October 23, 2023.
When can Angelenos apply?
Angelenos can apply starting at 8:00 AM PT on September 19th and the application portal will remain open until October 2 at 6:00 PM.
What else is the City doing to combat evictions?
The Los Angeles Housing Department has launched the Short-Term Emergency Assistance Program to prevent Angelenos from becoming homeless. Tenant outreach and education is also funded by Measure ULA to help ensure that tenants are aware of upcoming deadlines and available resources. This funding plan also supports the Eviction Defense/Prevention Program to provide eligible at-risk households with legal support.
Last month, the City Council approved the Measure ULA Expenditure Plan, which includes:
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$18,400,000 for a Short-Term Emergency Assistance Program that will allow eligible low-income tenant households to apply for up to six months owed back rent due to a one time economic hardship. Priority eligibility shall be established for lower-income households.
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$23,000,000 for the Eviction Defense/Prevention Program, to continue and expand the Stay Housed LA (SHLA) program, a partnership with the County, legal service providers and community organizations, that provides tenant households at risk of eviction, with legal support, “know your rights” education, and in limited cases, rental assistance through settlements with their landlords.
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$5,520,000 for a tenant outreach and education program and campaign to provide broad and targeted tenant education outreach services, including workshops, legal clinics, paid and earned media and targeted social media.
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$11,219,694 for the Protections from Tenant Harassment Program. Funds will be allocated for infrastructure, technology, and community outreach, to educate tenants, as well as landlords, about their rights and obligations, and to enforce protections against tenant harassment. The City adopted the Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance (TAHO) (effective August 6, 2021) to protect tenants from harassment by landlords.
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$23,000,000 to provide rental subsidies and move-in assistance to low income seniors and people with disabilities, who are currently experiencing or at imminent risk of homelessness. The Los Angeles Housing Department will report on the plan to roll this program on October 18, 2023.
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$56,860,306 for development of multifamily affordable housing to increase affordable housing units in the City with an initiative called “Accelerator Plus.” The program will fund “shovel-ready” affordable housing projects that are ready to quickly start or complete construction with an additional loan of no more than $12 million to close a financing gap.