SANTA MONICA—The city of Santa Monica’s Housing & Human Services Division announced on Wednesday, July 1 that it would collaborate with local organizations to help provide rent and food relief to struggling residents through the public health emergency.
The Emergency Rental Assistance program will provide rental funds to eligible Santa Monica residents who demonstrate a loss of income or increase in expenses due to the pandemic.
Applications for residents open Tuesday, July 7. The city will partner with St. Joseph Center to expedite the review of applications and the payment of emergency rental assistance to landlords on behalf of Santa Monica residents.
The Emergency Rental Assistance program was created by The City’s Economic Recovery Task Force that focuses on developing emergency measures to assist Santa Monica businesses and residents during the pandemic. The new program will:
- Provide eligible applicants up to three months of rental assistance to cover rent expenses into August 2020 or later
- Offer up to $5,000 per household
- Be utilized for an estimated 300 households in the city.
Eligible applications will be entered into a lottery for final selection. The program does not cover rent deferred by the local eviction moratorium. Rental assistance payments will be made directly to landlords or property management companies on behalf of qualifying Santa Monica residents.
Paper applications will be available for pick up at the Thelma Terry building located at Virginia Avenue Park at 2200 Virginia Avenue in Santa Monica. The application deadline is at noon on July 17, 2020. Online applications and program details available at santamonica.gov/coronavirus-renthelp. Online applications will be available in multiple languages.
Santa Monica has opened its free summer lunch program for school-aged children at Virginia Avenue Park. The program offers free grab-and-go meals Monday through Friday at Virginia Avenue Park outside of the Patio Room, North of the Thelma Terry building. All meals meet nutritional requirements established by the United States Department of Agriculture and will be distributed from June 29, 2020 until August 14, 2020 from 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Adults may pick up a free bag of lunch for each school-age child in their household without a child present due to COVID- 19 safety guidelines until supplies last. Meals will not be served Friday, July 3 due to the observed holiday.
This service is walk up only. For more information about the lunch program, call 310-458-8688 or email vap@smgov.net.
The city offers a COVID-19 Emergency Pantry at Virginia Avenue Park in partnership with the Westside Food Pantry. One pre-assembled food bag is distributed to each household and is available only by appointment to low-income Santa Monica residents or families with children enrolled in SMMUSD schools.
For appointments, individuals can call (424) 410-1354 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Information about Virginia Avenue Park programs available at smgov.net/vapark.
