LOS ANGELES­—The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved on Tuesday, June 23 to spend up to $30 million on a new rent relief program and extend the countrywide Eviction Moratorium until July 30, 2020.

Supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Mark Ridley-Thomas co-authored the motion as they want to prevent a huge increase in homelessness due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

“The moratorium currently provides temporary protection to many households who have suffered a loss in income during the pandemic – but it’s just that – temporary. When the time ultimately comes to end the moratorium, it is unlikely that most renters will immediately be in a position to pay back months of unpaid rent,” said Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. He mentioned that in order to prevent a wave of massive evictions and foreclosures which could make many Angelenos become homeless, it’s necessary to provide both tenants and property owners with support and interventions.

“COVID-19 has had a devastating effect on families who had already been scraping by paycheck to paycheck,” Supervisor Sheila Kuehl said in a statement. “The County’s eviction and foreclosure moratorium have helped keep many of those residents in their homes. When the time comes to lift the moratorium, people who fell behind in their rent will face the nearly impossible task of trying to pay current and back rent at the same time. We need a plan to avoid a surge of new evictions and homelessness, and this motion will deliver that plan.”

The statewide Eviction Moratorium will expire 90 days after Governor Gavin Newsom announces the end of the COVID-19 emergency, while The Board of Supervisors has decided to extend a countywide Eviction Moratorium to at least July 30 and may then reconsider if it’s necessary to further continue the plan.

The Los Angeles City Council also passed a $100 million renter relief program on Tuesday, June23 which aims to help people who have been financially affected by the pandemic. Tenants whose household income is at or below 80% of the Area Median Income, which is $83,500 for a family of 4 are qualified for the program. The rent subsidy will be paid directly to the tenant’s landlord on the tenant’s behalf.