L.A. County Rent Relief Program Is Open to WeHo Residents As of Monday

West Hollywood residents who have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic will be able as of Monday to apply for emergency rent relief from Los Angeles County.

The rent relief program is funded with $100 million from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.  The county will focus half of that relief spending on residents of ZIP zones who are most vulnerable to eviction. Those include the 90069, 90048, and 90046 zones that cover West Hollywood. The rest of it will be allocated through a lottery to residents who meet income and COVID-19 impact criteria.

The City of West Hollywood already has allocated more than $500,000 to provide rent relief to local residents struggling to pay their rent because of the pandemic. A resident is eligible for a $1,000 subsidy over each of three months. More information about that support is available on the city’s website.

To  qualify for assistance from the L.A. County emergency rental assistance, an applicant must:

• Have lost his or her job or had working hours reduce because of the pandemic.
• Have had to spend extra money on childcare because their child’s daycare or school is closed. Have had to spend money on healthcare for a member of the household member who is ill with COVID-19.
• Have a gross income of no more than $39,450 for a one-person household, $45,050 for a two-person household, $50,700 (three-person household); $56,300 (four-person household), $60,850 (five-person household).
• A renter doesn’t have to be behind in rent to qualify but does need to have experienced a reduction in income related to COVID-19 and meet the household income eligibility requirements.

Renters can apply online or call 211 for help. The program is open to all renters regardless of immigration status.   Applications are accepted through Aug. 31.

The subsidies aren’t available to residents of the City of Los Angeles, which has its own CARES Act program, or to renters who have Section 8 or Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing vouchers.