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Long Beach starts offering rental subsidies to older adults. Here’s how to apply
A man looks over the courtyard from one of the housing buildings at Cabrillo Century Villages in Long Beach.
(
Thomas R. Cordova
/
Long Beach Post
)
Long Beach is hoping to help keep older residents from falling into homelessness with a new program that offers them limited rental subsidies of $400 to $500 a month.
The money, available through the Older Adult Shallow Subsidy program, is meant to temporarily reduce the burden of rent while people pursue long-term solutions, like affordable housing.
The program is for households that include at least one older adult, defined as anyone age 62 or older, or age 55 or older with a disability.
To qualify, applicants must:
- live in non-subsidized rental housing in Long Beach
- be experiencing severe rent burden (spending 70% or more of income on rent)
- demonstrate the ability to pay rent consistently with shallow subsidy assistance
- have a household income at or below 50% of the Area Median Income (That’s $58,300 for a household of one, up to $110,000 for a household of eight.)
Eligible renters may receive up to $12,000 over two years, with additional support available in extenuating circumstances.
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If deemed eligible, participants will also receive light-touch case management, which includes quarterly check-ins and connection to supportive services.
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How to apply
Applications are available in English, Spanish, Khmer and Tagalog here. They will remain open until all subsidy slots are filled. You can also apply in person Monday through Thursday at the Multi-Service Center or Mondays and Wednesdays at the Long Beach Senior Center.
The program will prioritize households whose existing rental assistance or housing subsidy has expired or is scheduled to expire within the next 60 days. Those include households that received vouchers, were in the rapid rehousing program, homelessness prevention program or other rental assistance programs where financial support is ending.
Other factors that could lead to an application being prioritized include urgency of eviction risk, disabling conditions, fixed-income status and prior experiences of homelessness.
The program is funded with $1.8 million from a mix of state funding secured by Sen. Lena Gonzalez, the Los Angeles County Measure A sales tax and state grant funding.
Why older adults?
Even as Long Beach has increased spending on homelessness outreach and housing services, it hasn’t been able to keep pace with the number of people falling into homelessness.
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This year, 12.4% of people tallied in the annual homeless count reported they were newly homeless, up from 10.9% last year.
This year’s count also found an increase in the number of residents over 55 who were experiencing homelessness (1,096 this year compared to 1,023 last year).
“Older adults living on fixed incomes are increasingly vulnerable to housing instability as rents continue to rise across the region,” Mayor Rex Richardson said in a statement.
Other options for rental subsidies
The program is part of Upstream LB, a three-pronged city initiative announced last year aimed at preventing housing instability.
In April, the city launched its first Renter Aid Program to provide short-term rental assistance for about 250 households.
Thus far, city officials say the Renter Aid program has received more than 3,500 applications and about 50 households have been enrolled.
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A separate program targeting Long Beach residents ages 18-25 who are at high risk of homelessness was originally scheduled to launch in July but hasn’t yet started. It aims to help about 50 people in its first year with a budget of $750,000.
The post Long Beach starts offering rental subsidies to older adults. Here’s how to apply. appeared first on LA Local.
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