The Los Angeles Post

With Fate of Eviction Protections Uncertain, O’Farrell Introduces Council District 13 Rental Aid Program

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$3 million in new rental subsidies would add to O’Farrell’s extensive efforts to keep people housed in spite of COVID-19 economic challenges

LOS ANGELES, CA (September 28, 2022) – With a decision looming on the fate of COVID-19 eviction protections, which affect thousands of renters in Los Angeles, City Council President Pro Tempore Mitch O’Farrell today introduced a motion that would provide $3 million in rental assistance for tenants in Council District 13 (CD13), which O’Farrell represents.

“I’ve been a renter for most of my life and my family repeatedly faced eviction when I was a child,” said Councilmember O’Farrell. “My number one priority is keeping people housed. The program I’m introducing today will bring more aid to the most vulnerable people in my district, and will help Angelenos who are still burdened by the economic pains of the pandemic.”

Since the beginning of the pandemic, O’Farrell has been a leader in establishing rental assistance programs. His $1 million in initial rental assistance helped 500 CD13 households stay in their homes, and was used as a model for additional citywide relief programs, beginning with the $100 million citywide Emergency Rental Assistance Subsidy, launched in 2020, which provided approximately 49,000 applicants (8,739 in CD13) with subsidies of $2,000 each. Then, in 2021, The City launched the $221 million citywide Emergency Rental Assistance Program, which provided approximately 18,000 applicants citywide with an average payment of $12,000 each.

When approved by the City Council, the new CD13 Rental Aid Program introduced today by O’Farrell is expected to begin accepting applications in late October, and will be available to CD13 renters who make 80% or less of AMI. Both tenants and “mom and pop” landlords can apply. Once the program is up and running, CD13 renters and “mom and pop” landlords will be able to access the application via Councilmember O’Farrell’s website, and assistance will also be available at O’Farrell’s Echo Park district office. The program is expected to help thousands of people in CD13.

“The Housing Department shares Councilmember O’Farrell’s commitment to keeping people housed,” said Ann Sewill, General Manager, Los Angeles Housing Department. “The Council District 13 Rental Aid Program is going to go a long way to helping Councilmember O’Farrell’s constituents endure the ongoing challenges of the pandemic.”

“As a renter and advocate for the unhoused, I’m thanking to Councilmember O’Farrell for his leadership in keeping people housed and creating this new rental aid program,” said Jazzmun Crayton, a CD13 constituent and member of the City of Los Angeles Transgender Advisory Council. “This additional aid will make a world of difference for underserved groups at heightened risk of becoming homeless and addressing housing insecurity right now.”

Photo attached, credit “City of Los Angeles.” L to R: Anna Ortega, Los Angeles Housing Department; Council President Pro Tempore Mitch O’Farrell; Jazzmun Crayton, City of Los Angeles Transgender Advisory Council; Tricia Keane, Los Angeles Housing Department.