O’Farrell’s $3 Million Rental Aid Program Now Open
The new rental subsidies will help keep Council District 13 residents housed as COVID-19 protections begin to sunset in the coming months
LOS ANGELES – As Los Angeles emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, City Council President Pro Tempore Mitch O’Farrell today opened a new program that will provide $3 million in rental aid for eligible residents in Council District 13 (CD13), represented by O’Farrell.
“My rental aid program will help renters in the 13th District stay housed, and that’s my top priority,” said Councilmember O’Farrell. “I’ve been a renter for most of my life and my family repeatedly faced eviction when I was a child, so I know firsthand the burdens faced by some renters. That’s why we’ve worked so hard during the pandemic to provide relief to people affected by COVID-19.”
The CD13 Rental Aid Program is now open and will accept applications for two weeks, through November 4, 2022. Eligible tenants and small “mom and pop” landlords can apply online at http://cd13.com/rentalaid. If a tenant or landlord does not have access to a computer, applications can be submitted by calling the CD13 Rental Subsidy Hotline at (855) 490-3481. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. O’Farrell’s District Office, located at 1722 Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park, is also accepting applicants who prefer to complete their application in person and who need help doing so.
To be eligible, a tenant’s household income for 2021 or 2022 must be at or below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI), and a tenant must owe their landlord unpaid rent on or after April 1, 2022. For example, a family of two with an annual household income of up to $76,250 would qualify. A family of four with a household income of up to $95,300 would also qualify. Both tenants and “mom and pop” landlords can apply, and tenants must live within the boundaries of CD13. Landlords must be a “mom and pop” landlord of a rental property in CD13 with a tenant who qualifies for the program. A “mom and pop” landlord may own no more than four rental units plus a single-family home in the City of Los Angeles.
O’Farrell is partnering with several community organizations to assist with outreach and the completion of applications, including the Bresee Foundation and Koreatown Youth + Community Center (KYCC), and Armenian Relief Society (ARS). Applicants will be provided assistance in multiple languages including English, Spanish, Korean and Armenian.
“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.”
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.
“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.”
