West Hollywood Coronavirus Update: California Rent Relief Program Applications Now Being Accepted From Landlords And Renters

Press release from the City of West Hollywood:

April 4, 2021

The City of West Hollywood is getting the word out that applications are now being accepted for the State of California’s COVID-19 Rent Relief program. Eligibility information and links to the online application are available at https://housing.ca.gov.

The California COVID-19 Rent Relief program is designed to help low-income Californians through the payment of unpaid rent to landlords. Funding for this program comes from $2.6 billion in federal rental assistance.

Landlords who opt-in and are approved for the State of California’s COVID-19 Rent Relief program may get reimbursed for 80 percent of an eligible renter’s unpaid rent for the period between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021, if the landlord agrees to waive the remaining 20 percent of unpaid rent for that specific time period.

Eligible renters whose landlords choose not to participate in the program may apply independently and may receive 25 percent of unpaid rent for the period between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021. Paying this 25 percent to the landlord by June 30, 2021 can help renters stay in their homes under the extended eviction protections outlined in SB 91, otherwise known as the COVID-19 Tenant Relief Act (CTRA). Eligible renters may also be eligible for future rent assistance equal to 25 percent of their monthly rent. Combined with the assistance available for unpaid rent, future assistance will help renters stay housed once the eviction protections in SB 91 expire on June 30, 2021. Assistance for unpaid utilities may also be available.

To check eligibility requirements, to apply, or to find a Local Partner Network organization that can assist, visit https://housing.ca.gov or call, toll-free, (833) 430-2122.

Additional information is available on the City of West Hollywood’s Rent Stabilization & Housing Division webpage by visiting www.weho.org/rent.

For more information of for assistance, please contact the City of West Hollywood’s Rent Stabilization & Housing Division at (323) 848-6450 or at rsh@weho.org. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.

The City of West Hollywood has declared a local emergency in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Individuals are advised to stay at home as much as possible and limit close interactions to those in your household. When in public, community members should maintain your space with social (physical) distancing of at least six feet, and cover your face. Public Health officials recommend that everyone, even those who are vaccinated, to continue to follow physical distancing and infection control directives and wear a clean face covering that securely covers both your nose and mouth when in in public.

West Hollywood City Hall is currently closed to the public and has suspended all in-person transactions. Most public City buildings and facilities remain closed. City Hall remains accessible for business and essential services with transactions to be conducted by phone (323) 848-6400 and via the City’s website at www.weho.org.

City of West Hollywood coronavirus updates are available at www.weho.org/coronavirus and the City encourages community members to follow @wehocity on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram and turn on notifications. For up-to-date news and events, follow the City of West Hollywood on social media, sign up for news updates at www.weho.org/email, and visit the City’s calendar of meetings and events at www.weho.org/calendar.

For reporters and members of the media seeking additional information about the City of West Hollywood, please contact the City of West Hollywood’s Public Information Officer, Sheri A. Lunn, at (323) 848-6391 or slunn@weho.org.

This press release was produced by the City of West Hollywood. The views expressed here are the author’s own.