June 30, 2020
City Council Approves Emergency Rental Assistance Program for Low-Income Households Affected by COVID-19
The San Diego Housing Commission will administer the program, with applications available beginning no later than July 20, 2020.
SAN DIEGO, CA — Thousands of San Diego households with low income who have experienced financial hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic will be eligible for one-time emergency financial help to pay their rent through a new program the San Diego City Council approved today, which the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) will administer.
The City of San Diego’s COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program, proposed by City Councilmember Chris Ward, will provide up to $4,000 per household to help eligible families pay past-due and upcoming rent.
“Our rental assistance program cleared another hurdle today, and in a matter of weeks over $15 million will be directly available to thousands of renters struggling to navigate the financial challenges of the COVID pandemic,” Councilmember Ward said. “The current $15.1 million is a start to what I hope is continued relief for residents, especially since this program gives us a mechanism to add funds as they become available.”
Approximately 3,500 households could receive emergency rental assistance through the program, if all households received the maximum of $4,000.
“This program will provide some of the stability these families—and their landlords—need as San Diego gradually emerges from this health crisis. The San Diego Housing Commission is pleased to partner with the City of San Diego to implement this program, which builds upon our successful track record of providing housing assistance to families in need,” SDHC President & CEO Richard C. Gentry said.
The City Council voted 9-0 to authorize the expenditure of $15.1 million in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds for the emergency rental assistance program. Philanthropic donations also are encouraged to support the program.
Applications for assistance from the COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program will be available on SDHC’s website, www.sdhc.org, starting no later than July 20, 2020, and continuing through July 31, 2020.
SDHC will be contracting with community-based organizations (CBOs), who will assist with community outreach and will be available to help eligible households complete the online application.
To be eligible for the program, households must meet the following criteria:
- The household has a City of San Diego address.
- Household income on January 1, 2020, was at or below 60 percent of the San Diego Area Median Income, based on household size ($64,200 per year for a family of four).
- The household is NOT currently receiving any rental subsidies.
- The household is NOT currently a tenant of a property owned or managed by SDHC.
- The household does NOT have savings to meet their financial need.
- The household has eligible immigration status (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, registry immigrant, a refugee/person seeking asylum or granted asylum).
- The household experienced hardship directly related to COVID-19.
Priority will be given to families with children and households with members age 62 and older.
To disburse funds fairly and help households who are most in need, a random-selection and prioritization system will be used to select the applicants who will receive a rental assistance payment.
SDHC staff will coordinate with selected applicants and their landlord or property management company to disburse payments. All payments will be made electronically to the landlord or property management company.
For information about this and other programs in response to COVID-19, please visit SDHC’s website www.sdhc.org/about-us/coronavirus-covid-19/
###
Media Contact:
Scott Marshall
Vice President of Communications
San Diego Housing Commission
619-578-7138
