{"id":29849,"date":"2020-12-08T16:11:03","date_gmt":"2020-12-09T00:11:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=29849"},"modified":"2020-12-08T16:34:31","modified_gmt":"2020-12-09T00:34:31","slug":"la-county-helps-people-stay-housed-during-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=29849","title":{"rendered":"LA COUNTY HELPS PEOPLE STAY HOUSED DURING PANDEMIC"},"content":{"rendered":"
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by\u00a0Mark Hedin<\/a><\/span>\u00a0|\u00a0Dec 8, 2020<\/span>\u00a0|\u00a0COVID-19<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Clockwise from top left: Dana Pratt, Chief of Tenant Protections, LA County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs; Azusena Favela, Deputy Director, LA County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs; Emilio Salas, Acting Executive Director, LA County Development Authority; Maritza Gutierrez, Chief ,Mediation & Counseling Division, LA County Department of Consumer & Business Affairs<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Rent grants, legal help, mediation available<\/p>\n

By Mark Hedin, Ethnic Media Services<\/strong><\/p>\n

Los Angeles County offers an array of programs to help renters stay in place and help homeowners avoid foreclosure despite the economic hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

At a news conference on Dec. 7, four county officials described some of these and shared fears for the future if the federal government fails to provide relief soon.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s no secret that we live in one of the most unaffordable housing markets in the nation, with more than half the county\u2019s resident being referred to as \u2018rent burdened,\u2019\u201d said Dana Pratt, chief of tenant protections at the Consumer and Business Affairs department. She cited a recent UCLA study finding that at least 365,000 renter households don\u2019t have an adult who is either employed or has sufficient replacement income to pay rent.<\/p>\n

Since March 4, the county has had a moratorium on evictions, but it is\u00a0set to expire on January 31. It applies to residential, commercial and mobile properties and if the tenants can\u2019t pay rent due to COVID-19, bars evictions, rent increases, late fees, or charges for interest and \u201cpass-throughs\u201d of owner costs.<\/p>\n

Along with the eviction moratorium, Pratt said, the county has newly implemented rent stabilization and eviction defense programs and created a rent stabilization program to limit rent increases and evictions without just cause.<\/p>\n

Pratt was careful to point out that although you can\u2019t be evicted for falling behind on your rent, you still owe it. \u201cIt\u2019s a rent deferral, not a waiver,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She also highlighted a new department program, Stay Housed LA County, a collaboration with community-based organizations and the Los Angeles\u00a0Right to Counsel Coalition<\/a>. It provides legal representation, short-term rental assistance, know-your-rights workshops and other wraparound services.<\/p>\n

Previously, Pratt said, 90% of people who had to face their landlords and landlords\u2019 lawyers in court did so alone. \u201cThis is a first line of defense for the oncoming tsunami of evictions that we expect to see once these protections start to lift.\u201d<\/p>\n

She urged people to check with counselors who can be reached at (833) 223-7368 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and other resources available at\u00a0rent.lacounty.gov<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0and\u00a0lacountyhelpcenter.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis housing crisis is different from the Great Recession,\u201d said Azusena Favela, deputy director of the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs, shifting focus to homeowners facing possible foreclosure.<\/p>\n

Favela said she sees a proliferation of \u201ccash for keys\u201d flyers in her South LA neighborhood tempting people who\u2019ve fallen behind on their mortgages to sell their homes for a fast payout. She urged those who might be tempted to tread carefully.<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand the desperation,\u201d she said, \u201cbut before making a decision, contact us.\u201d Counselors are available in multiple languages at (833) 238-4450 or check the department\u2019s website\u00a0stayhousedla.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While there are foreclosure-prevention measures on the books, they are set to expire at the end of January. Forbearance plans can buy you some time, Favela said, and emphasized that in speaking with lenders, people should be clear whether COVID-19 has affected their ability to pay their bills.<\/p>\n

The department, she said, can also offer connections to 14 nonprofit organizations certified by the federal department of Housing and Urban Development for help.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hear the desperation, the need, in callers\u2019 voices,\u201d said Maritza Gutierrez,\u00a0chief of mediation and counseling for\u00a0the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs, who spoke next. But, she said, \u201cthey still have options and shouldn\u2019t feel they have nowhere to turn.\u201d<\/p>\n

The department\u2019s confidential mediation services, she said, can often help find amicable resolutions to the problems tenants and property owners face.<\/p>\n

Although mediators can\u2019t provide financial assistance, investigate, or make rulings, the department has had a high rate of success in helping reach agreements on a wide range of issues, including back rent, repairs, breaking leases, rent hikes, deposits. \u201cAnything to do with a court,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

They can be reached at (800) 593-8222.<\/p>\n

Emilio Salas, acting director of the LA County Development Authority, described four other programs aimed at housing help.<\/p>\n

One has $110 million allocated for emergency rent relief, up from $100 million when it began in September and was quickly oversubscribed. So far, 90,000 renters have applied for help, many times more than the county had expected.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are still working through all those applications,\u201d he said, and prioritizing low-income applicants residing in economically disadvantaged communities such as Bell Gardens and South Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

For those earning no more than 30% of median income (approximately $34,000 annually for a family of four), the grant program could offer as much as $10,000, and for those earning up to 50% of the median, ($56,300 for a family of four): $7,500.<\/p>\n

Later this month, Salas said the Development Authority will open the first of 10 hotels and motels it has bought to provide supportive housing for the homeless. It expects to eventually be able to provide a thousand such units.<\/p>\n

The agency is also working to spread awareness that it is now against the law for a property owner to deny anyone housing based on their use of Section 8 housing vouchers. The county is also in some cases providing a first month\u2019s rent to hold properties open while the landlord screens rental applications.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe need is tremendous,\u201d Salas said. \u201cAll of these things work in tandem.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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