Written by Justin Culetu
As COVID-19 enters its ninth month in the United States, government restrictions causing economic hardships for millions of Americans remain an unfortunate reality.
Just like the rest of the country, San Diego residents face the consequences of ongoing lockdowns through job losses, lower wages, and/or fewer work hours. Considering the fact that San Diego County was recently pushed back to purple tier restrictions, hard-working San Diegans may not see an improvement in their financial situations anytime soon.
With this in mind, county officials plan to reinstate an Emergency Rental Assistance program that will be accepting applications starting this week.
To prevent increased homelessness, the County of San Diego Board of Advisors set aside $27 million in funding for the rent relief program that will assist thousands of residents and property owners. Property owners and tenants who are eligible for this program could receive up to $3,000 to atone for past or future housing costs.
According to county officials, applications will only be approved for those who can prove financial burden caused by the pandemic, and they will continue to approve funding for eligible applicants until the budget for the program is exhausted.
The eligibility criteria include a maximum of $48,540 yearly income for a single-person household and $69,300 yearly income for a four-person household. Those who already receive benefits from other government housing programs are not eligible for this program.
The program will be accepting a second round of applications starting tomorrow, Tuesday, December 1st. More information on the Emergency Rental Assistance Program can be found at this link.
Photo via San Diego County COVID-19 Assistance Website
