SANTA MONICA— The County of Los Angeles will be opening their rent relief applications to residents of Santa Monica on Monday, August 17 to help aid with the financial pressures placed on renters and business owners since the beginning of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The County is in partnership with the nonprofit 211 LA that has been running since 1981 to help members of the community and other organizations find information on health, social and human services.

According to Santa Monica’s Governmental website, “The County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors recently approved $100 Million in CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Funds to provide rental assistance on behalf of tenants impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. A lottery of eligible applicants will be run at the end of the application process.”

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Hilda Solis held an online discussion Thursday, August 13 with Emilio Salas of the Los Angeles County Development Authority to discuss ways people can apply for the funds.

“We know there are many people having a hardship right now in terms of paying their rent, because they might’ve lost their job or a significant part of their household income,” Solis said, “and we know it’s really impacting communities of color.”

An important notice listed on the city’s website stated:

“Santa Monica tenants who are eligible are encouraged to apply, however, renters CANNOT get funding from both the County and Santa Monica for rent for the same months. This is considered ‘duplication of benefits’ and is prohibited by federal rules. If you receive funding for rent from more than one source, you must apply those sources to different months. For example: if you receive funding through Santa Monica’s COVID Emergency Rental Assistance Program, this will be applied to rent starting October 1. You could also receive funding through other sources for back rent owed earlier to October, or for any gap between the City’s award amount and total rent owed for October, November and December.”

Eligibilty and their benefits include: renters who are currently at 30% of the median income can receive up to $10,000, renters who are currently at 50% of the median income can receive up to $7,500 and eligibility is not based on immigration status.

The application is open from August 17 until August 31 and those eligible can apply through the online portal https://211la.org/lacounty/rentrelief or call 2-1-1 between the business hours of 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM where a representative can help them complete the form.