Following the model of an Oakland program credited with preventing thousands of people from becoming homeless, Emeryville and Hayward have launched funds to help renters struggling during the pandemic.
The new initiatives, run by nonprofit Bay Area Community Services, seek to help Emeryville residents pay their June or July rent, and to help Hayward residents pay back rent that was due in April or at the beginning of this month.
“Keeping community members housed is critical, during this crisis and ongoing,” Bay Area Community Services CEO Jamie Almanza wrote in a statement. “BACS has always advocated for innovative, comprehensive solutions to the housing crisis, and this pandemic has brought too many people close to the brink of homelessness.”
The two funds together total more than $1 million, with that money coming from city coffers, private donations and federal CARES Act funds, said Jonathan Russell, associate director of programs for Bay Area Community Services.
When the coronavirus pandemic shut down the state in March and forced millions of Californians out of work, many were unable to continue paying their bills. Across the U.S., nearly a third of renters didn’t pay their landlords in April. Many Bay Area cities, including Emeryville and Hayward, have imposed temporary eviction moratoriums for tenants who fail to pay because of a coronavirus-related loss of income. But tenant advocates worry what will happen when those protections expire — Emeryville’s is set to end in a little more than two weeks — and landlords start demanding back rent.
The new Emeryville and Hayward funds are modeled after Keep Oakland Housed, which provides emergency financial assistance to tenants who have fallen behind on their rent, and offers legal help to those faced with eviction lawsuits. Since it launched in 2018, the program has helped 2,117 households — or more than 4,000 people — keep their homes, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said in February.
Now Bay Area Community Services is expanding the program, calling it Keep Everyone Housed. To participate, renters must prove they are experiencing economic hardship directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Hayward, the nonprofit will pay the difference between what the tenant can afford and the rent owed — up to $2,500. Payments will be made directly to the landlord. Renters are eligible if they make up to 50% of the local area median income ($52,200 for a two-person household). They also qualify if they make up to 80% of the area median income ($83,550 for a two-person household) but spend 30% or more of their pay on rent.In Emeryville, tenants are eligible for relief if they make less than 100% of the local area median income ($89,350 for a two-person household). Maximum payments range from $1,955 to $2,793, depending on the number of bedrooms in the applicant’s home. The nonprofit will prioritize applicants at the lowest end of the income spectrum first.
Similar relief funds have been set up in other Bay Area jurisdictions, including Santa Clara and Contra Costa counties.
To apply for rental assistance
If you live in Oakland, Emeryville or Hayward and are struggling to pay rent due to a coronavirus-related loss of income, you can apply for help here: housing.bayareacs.org
To learn more about the program or to donate, visit: bayareacs.org
