Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.
LA City Council Passes Program To Help Residents With Back Rent
Graffiti on a wall on La Brea Ave. in May amid the Covid-19 pandemic. (Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images)
With renters owing thousands of dollars in back rent since the pandemic started, the L.A. City Council today announced an additional $259 million for its COVID-19 Emergency Renters Relief Program. That's more than twice what it provided last year.
The average renter owes between $4,000 and $7,000, according to City Council President Nury Martinez.
To qualify, your combined household income must be at or below 50% of the median income – for a family of four, that's about $56,000.
Martinez said the program is aimed at those who are most in need:
"I know the daily struggle of the working poor people who have worked for decades to escape poverty. Working in back of houses, in restaurants, looking after other people's children and working in factories, all of this, only to run into the risk of facing it again during this crisis."
The application window opens at 8 a.m. on March 30 and runs through April 30. Renters and landlords can apply by phone with L.A.'s Housing and Community Investment Department, or via its website at https://hcidla.lacity.org/.
Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletter. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
