Staff

The one-year anniversary of Los Angeles’ COVID-19 shutdown has come and gone, and for many, the ensuing financial burden continues.

“Hundreds of thousands are struggling to pay their rent on time or even to pay it at all,” acknowledged Supervisor Janice Hahn back in January of 2021.

Along with Supervisor Hilda Solis, Hahn successfully motioned for the extension and expansion of the local rent relief program and eviction moratorium in January. Now, Angelinos can also turn to the city’s Emergency Renters Assistance Program (ERAP), which will open applications on March 30.

Residents will have until through April 30 to apply.

“The Los Angeles Emergency Rental Assistance Program is designed to help landlords and tenants catch up on back rent. The program will provide a temporary rental subsidy for tenants who live in the City of Los Angeles and are unable to pay rent due to circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic,” explained Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson in a statement.

To be eligible, applicants must meet three requirements:
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; and
The household income is at or below 50 percent of the area median income (AMI).

Those eligible will then be randomly selected. However, the program will prioritize applicants with past-due, unpaid rent. Similar to the state program, the program can pay 80 percent of a tenant’s past-due rent for the period of April 1, 2020, through March 31, 2021, but only if their landlord agrees to pay the remaining 20 percent.

If a landlord does not agree, the program will help pay 25 percent of the tenant’s past-due, unpaid rent, as well as up to 25 percent of their upcoming future rent for 3 months.

To apply visit hcidla.lacity.org or call the ERAP hotline.