City officials in Los Angeles are making a concerted effort to communicate that assistance is available in order to keep tenants from losing their homes. This comes as Angelenos face a deadline on Tuesday to pay back rent for the first 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During a news conference at City Hall, Mayor Karen Bass stated, “Our goal is to keep people in their homes. The city is taking unprecedented actions to ensure that Angelenos stay housed and to prevent small landlords from going into foreclosure.”
Previously, the City Council established an August 1 deadline for tenants to pay any overdue rent from March 2020 to September 2021. For rent owed between October 2021 and January 31, 2022, tenants have until February 2024 to make payments.
Prior to the first rental period deadline, city officials are making efforts to inform tenants and landlords about their rights and obligations in order to prevent a potential wave of evictions.
According to city data, there were approximately 27,000 eviction filings in the past year, and this number could increase by another 10,000 in the upcoming year.
Tenants can find information about their rights and access resources at stayhousedla.org/tenant-rights.
Councilwoman Nithya Raman, chair of the council’s Housing and Homelessness Committee, expressed concern that many people are not aware of the available resources for eviction protection and homelessness prevention.
The mayor’s office and the Los Angeles Housing Department have launched public information campaigns to educate tenants about protections and resources.
These campaigns target high-risk ZIP codes identified through Stay Housed LA, and include newly protected units such as post-1978 construction and single-family homes. Paid advertisements about protections have been run on radio and in community papers in multiple languages.
Ads have also been placed on social media platforms, resulting in over 150,000 clicks, as well as on NextDoor, leading to more than 1 million impressions.
The Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles, an independent nonprofit supporting Mayor Bass’ vision, is dedicated to homelessness prevention.
The “We Are LA” program, initiated by the organization, aims to help at-risk Angelenos stay housed. Outreach teams have already connected with nearly 41,000 individuals and scheduled case management appointments with over 10,000.
The program plans to engage with over 200,000 in the coming weeks.
Raman and Bass also announced that the courts will be providing expanded on-site resources in courthouses for those in need.
Raman stated, “The courts will be encouraged to enter into mediation and other alternative resolution methods in cases. Mayor Bass and I urge judges to do as much of this as possible to provide people with the assistance they need to stay housed.”
Measure ULA, commonly known as the “mansion tax,” imposes a 4% sales tax on properties valued over $5 million and a 5.5% sales tax on properties valued over $10 million. The revenue generated from this tax will be allocated to renter protections, including safeguards for low-income seniors at risk of homelessness, rental assistance programs, and the construction of more affordable housing units.
Initially, city officials projected that the measure would generate between $600 million and $1.1 billion annually, but the estimate was revised to $672 million. As of Thursday, the mayor’s office reported that $38 million has been raised through the measure.
The ULA spending plan will be presented to the council’s Housing and Homelessness Committee on Wednesday and then to the full council shortly thereafter.
The proposed spending plan includes:
– $18.4 million for a short-term emergency assistance program that allows eligible-income tenant households to apply for up to six months of owed back rent;
– $23 million for the city’s Eviction Defense/Prevention program, which will expand the Stay Housed LA program in collaboration with Los Angeles County, legal service providers, and community organizations;
– $5.5 million for a tenant outreach and education program that offers broad and targeted tenant education outreach services, including workshops and legal support;
– $11.2 million for a tenant harassment protection program that educates tenants and landlords about their rights and obligations. The Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance was adopted by the council in August 2021 to safeguard tenants from harassment by landlords.
Anna Ortega, assistant general manager of the Housing Department, emphasized the importance of taking immediate action if served with an eviction notice.
“If you receive an eviction notice, don’t wait. Act right away,” Ortega advised. “It’s crucial that you seek help and respond to an unlawful detainer within five days.”
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
