Your Questions Answered: 'One Month Away' FAQ
Q: What are the requirements to get eviction prevention assistance?
A: The person applying must be a resident of a neighboring low-income community, to be low-income based on HUD poverty guidelines, to have an ongoing, secure and verified income, and to show proof of income and of the one-time emergency that prevents paying the full amount of rent. Additionally, all eligible clients are required to meet with the City Heights CDC case manager and provide an update on their housing status at 3 and 6 months after receiving rental assistance.
Q: Who is on the ground doing this work?
A: The City Heights CDC has several staff members who work with residents both in our own affordable housing and in local rental properties. We have a case manager who works in our current eviction prevention pilot project providing direct assistance to eligible renters needing rental assistance.
Q: How does $500 cover a month’s rent payment?
A: $500 does not cover a month’s rent in an expensive housing market like San Diego’s, but, for many renters, $500 can be the difference between paying or not paying their rent that month—and being able to stay in their homes. This is usually because of an unexpected emergency expense such as a car repair bill or a medical issue. Anything which could prevent the tenant from working the entire month will make it difficult to cover the rent that month. The $500 is an average amount. Some renters will need less and some will need more to prevent their evictions.
Q: Where in San Diego are you providing assistance?
A: We work primarily in City Heights because this is the community where we’re based and with the highest percentage of low-income residents as well as the highest percentage of renters (77% or 77,000 renters). Our program is small and just beginning, so we want to first start by helping our neighbors who need it most.
Q: What other resources do you offer or recommend to renters?
A: One of the reasons we started this program is in response to the sorely insufficient rental assistance available in San Diego. In November 2017, according to the San Diego Housing Commission, there were 80,000 households waiting for affordable homes. The following is a list of the rental assistance programs we have found for San Diego tenants.
For Veterans: Veterans Community Services and Supportive Services for Veteran Families
211 San Diego (call 211)
We also recommend renters seek out the following resources for financial assistance, legal advice, tenant-landlord mediation and any basic needs.
Q: What about landlord’s rights?
A: This is a major issue: both tenants and landlords need education about their rights and responsibilities. Building awareness about how rent regulations work, the role of code enforcement, how to read and understand a rental lease, and legal vs. illegal evictions are all very important topics. Outreach, education, and advocacy is vitally needed for both tenants and landlords. This program is a one-time assistance program that simply ensures landlords and property management receive their monthly rent payment. We want to prevent costly and stressful eviction proceedings for landlords and tenants.
Q: Helping for a month is great, but is there a long-term solution?
A: The long-term solution is improving the system for the rental process in San Diego. This needs to happen at the policy level by improving renter protections and making the regulations easier to understand and enforce. A local rent ordinance which aligns with the new anti-rent gouging bill from the state, AB 1482, is the first step. The ordinance can establish a Rent Board to provide oversight and enforcement of the ordinance. San Diego is the only major city in California without a Rent Board.
San Diego also doesn’t track evictions unless they go through the courts, which is only about 5% of total eviction notices. A Rental Registry to track rental properties, property ownership and evictions will go a long way toward providing accountability and enforcement.
As policies improve and protect tenants and landlords more equitably, education and enforcement need to also happen. We have found that many evictions are invalid or illegal and sometimes a simple letter stating the law and its application can stop them and keep families in their homes. Most renters have no idea how to do this and many landlords don’t know their evictions are illegal.
Additionally, many low-income tenants cannot afford a lawyer in eviction court and without representation, they almost never win their cases. Building awareness and communicating information about relevant policies to both tenants and landlords can go a long way to preventing needless evictions and subsequent homelessness.
What else? What did we miss? Leave a comment or question below!