Rental Aid Available Again In Riverside County
Your next opportunity to apply for rental assistance runs from July 15th to July 25th, 2020.
It is through Riverside County’s United Lift rental assistance program, courtesy of American taxpayers via the CARES ACT.
The program is providing 33 million dollars with the goal of keeping 10,000 residents in their rental units between the months of June and November.
Residents may apply at UnitedLift.org or by calling 2-1-1. The application portal will be live and available in English and Spanish beginning July 15 for 10 days and close on July 25. Applications will reopen every month for a period of 10 days.
A total of 3,854 applications were received during the ten-day window in June. Lift to Rise and Inland SoCal United Way are administering the program, and have so far processed payments totaling $3.7 million for 2,467 eligible households.
According to application data, the pandemic left more 52.1% of applicants unemployed.
90.6% report being paid an annual income that is at or below 80% of the area median.
66% indicate being currently behind on rent with more than half of residents reporting they are between two and three months behind.
The average unpaid rent liability is $2,519.91 per household.
Nearly all applicants report being worried about their ability to pay next month’s rent.
Of the applicants that are currently behind on rent, 45% are workers in major industries most impacted by COVID-19-related unemployment including food, service, hotel, hospitality, cleaning, maintenance, sales, and retail profession.
45% of applicants are from the east end of Riverside County including all Coachella Valley cities and unincorporated communities, Calimesa, Blythe, Banning, and Beaumont.
55% are from the west and southwestern portion of Riverside County.
45% of households indicate having children under the age of 5.
69% of the applications are coming from female heads of households, half of which are from single female heads of households.
Eligibility for the rental assistance program is limited to renters in Riverside County with a current lease agreement who are either individuals or families earning 80 percent or below of the area’s median income, or who can document a loss of income due to COVID-19 economic impacts, leaving them unable to make their rent.
Households meeting the initial eligibility requirements will be selected by a random selection system and will be required to provide documentation showing their economic hardship. Payments will be made directly to landlords. Households not selected for rental assistance may re-apply in subsequent application windows. Rental assistance is intended to cover past due rent from March to November 2020, up to $3,500 per household.
Photo by Alpha Media USA Portland OR
