By Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].
The COVID-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc on the economy. For many it is unfeasible to cover the cost of housing, especially for those who have lost their jobs and are immigrants. For this reason, experts and partners from Los Angeles County held an information session to answer questions about how to access assistance and prevent evictions.
On June 28 of this year, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill (AB) 832, which extends protections for tenants of residential spaces and mobile homes facing eviction due to financial hardship by COVID-19 through September 30, 2021.
The same is true locally, as the Los Angeles County Eviction Moratorium, in effect since March 4, 2020, will also continue until September 30 of this year, unless the local Board of Supervisors revokes or, if applicable, extends it.
This moratorium prohibits countywide evictions of residential and commercial tenants, including those who rent mobile homes. During the County Moratorium, tenants cannot be evicted for nonpayment of rent due to COVID-19 hardship.
In light of this, Manuel Ruiz, senior policy analyst at the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs (DCBA), calls on residents to exercise their rights and obtain rental housing assistance, without fear of applying for applications for support.
In that regard, he explained that the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors recently launched Stay Housed LA County, a program that offers free legal services to tenants facing eviction.
In addition, the program offers workshops to learn more about your rights as a tenant and to connect with an attorney or advocate, she said at a press conference held by Ethnic Media Services.
The workshops will cover topics such as: tenant protections under the new state Assembly Bill 3088; the Los Angeles County emergency ordinance; and local city laws. The idea is to give them a better understanding of what to do if they experience harassment from their landlord or if an eviction lawsuit is filed against them.
To learn more about the program, interested parties can call to register for a workshop at 1-888-694-0040 or through the website at https://www.stayhousedla.org/workshops/.
Jessica Hayes, chief of Disaster Recovery with the California Department of Housing and Community Development, explained that in addition to the eviction moratorium, Los Angeles County residents can access California's COVID-19 Rental Relief Program.
"The goal of the program is to help families stay at home to help prevent evictions and make sure that the people who live there can stay together."
California's COVID-19 Rental Assistance program offers financial assistance for past-due and/or future rent and utilities to income-eligible tenants in the state, as well as to landlords affected by the pandemic, so both tenants and landlords may apply.
Applicants may qualify regardless of immigration status and will not be asked to show proof of citizenship, and all applicant information will be kept private.
"Immigration status is not an issue in this program. It's not a question we ask," Hayes said.
The program is open until funds are exhausted, and assists with 100 percent of the housing rent and defaulted utilities for the period.
Program Requirements of rental housing relief in Los Angeles
Tenants: Have been impacted by COVID-19, income eligible (state will calculate when applicable), have defaulted rent or utilities, or need assistance with future rent or utilities. Money must be turned over to the landlord within 15 days of receipt of funds.
Landlords: Have tenants who are behind on their rent and need help with the loss of income; the tenant's household is income-eligible - the state will calculate this when applicable - and finally that all payments received must be used to satisfy the tenant's unpaid rent, which must go back to March 1, 2020 at the latest.
Hayes specified that the program seeks, above all, to prioritize and help cases where households are below 80 percent of the area median income. "So we're really looking to make sure that this program is available to as many people as possible."
But what are the ways to submit an application? Or receive assistance in submitting an application?
So there are three ways people can apply to the program. The first is directly through the https://housing.ca.gov/ with self-service option, where interested parties will be able to come in, log in, use their email, their contact information, and upload their documents. "And if you don't have questions about the application, it's the easiest way."
"If you have any questions, we encourage people to reach out to our COVID-19 Rental Relief call center, which is phone number 833 430 2122," Hayes reported.
If people need a little more help, or perhaps have a disability or need language assistance, or are just not sure what documents to upload or have technological barriers such as no Internet access or no device to help them upload documents, they can make an appointment at 833 6870 967.
Hayes said that Los Angeles County has more than 30,000 active applications for rental housing relief and 10,000 more pending.
If a tenant is unable to pay rent, how can he/she take advantage of assistance to protect him/herself from eviction?
Cindy Shin, a staff attorney with the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles which is part of Stay Housed Los Angeles, noted that a landlord can file an eviction, however, tenants still have rights.
"In the event that your landlord takes an unlawful detainer action against the tenant, until the rental application is denied or the funds are released, any affectation action brought for nonpayment may be stayed," he specified.
In this regard, he reminded that both tenants and lessees are notified with three, 15, 30 and 60-day notices to prevent evictions from taking place without full notice, which could lead to claims being filed in court.
If the lawsuit is filed by a tenant, "the court sends a notice saying that a lawsuit has been filed, but the tenant is not required to respond to that lawsuit. Until they are personally served with the summons and complaint, and if they can't find a way to be personally served, then they get the court's permission to mail it to them."
But once you receive any type of notice - written or verbal - from the court or your landlord, it is important to contact a legal services provider immediately.
They can determine your rights based on where you live and help you better respond to the court's notice to remain in your home.
"We know that immigrants, in particular, have been the most impacted by the pandemic, and trying to get through the devastation and recover is a challenge. So we want to remember that these support services are available in every county, regardless of immigration status."
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