The San Diego City Council on Tuesday formally accepted $8.3 million in additional aid to help low-income tenants pay rent and utility bills during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The money is part of the federal government's reallocation of rental relief funds to reward cities and counties that have shown above average success at getting the money to those who need it. Only two jurisdictions in the country — Harris County in Texas and Philadelphia — received more money than San Diego in the latest round of funding.
"The fact that so much of the previous funding has been expended and we're now eligible for an additional $8.3 million speaks volumes about the hard work the commission has done on this program," said Councilmember Vivian Moreno.
The San Diego Housing Commission, which administers the rent relief program on the city's behalf, gave out more than $176 million to some 15,900 households so far. The vast majority of applicants are considered "extremely low-income," meaning they earn 30% or less of the county's median income. That would equal roughly $25,450 for a single person or $36,350 for a family of four.
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While officials were eager to accept the additional aid, it was a small fraction of the $115 million that the Housing Commission requested. It's unclear how much longer the rent relief program will last, even with the additional funds. The program distributed roughly $15.2 million in the four weeks between Jan. 27 and Feb. 23.
The Housing Commission is receiving new applications for rental assistance every day. More than 42,000 applications have been submitted so far, with another 37,000 applications that have been started but not completed.
"We're clearly not going to be able to help everybody," said Councilmember Marni von Wilpert.
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President Biden gave his first State of the Union address last night amid rising tensions with Russia. We have reactions from San Diegans with loved ones in Ukraine. Meanwhile, the San Diego City Council on Tuesday formally accepted $8.3 million in additional aid to help low-income tenants pay rent and utility bills during the COVID-19 pandemic. Plus, there’s been long delays for state hearings on wage theft cases, and that’s hurting low wage workers hoping to recover the money they're owed.
