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L.A. Politicians Announce $100 Million Rent Relief Measure

A large banner advertising open apartments hangs on the walls of a large multi unit apartment building in Koreatown. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)
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A program to provide rent relief could receive a massive infusion of cash, according to an announcement by Los Angeles city leaders today.

Under the plan, $100 million in federal stimulus dollars will flow to the city’s COVID-19 Rental Assistance Fund, a huge boost for a program that launched with just $2.2 million in funding.

City Council President Nury Martinez said at the meeting:

“This $100 million commitment is an economic lifeline we are all offering to our fellow Angelenos to help them reclaim their lives.”

Martinez added that it would be the largest relief program for renters in the country.
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The program will be available to tenants who:

  • Can document their losses from COVID-19
  • And make less than 80% of their area’s median income

Payouts go directly to landlords, and will be capped at $1,000 per month and $3,000 over the life of the program. The effort is expected to launch in late June or early July, Mayor Eric Garcetti said today adding that it could help 50,000 households. The stimulus funds have to be spent by the end of the year.

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