Statewide, a week ago, California’s eviction moratorium was extended ‘til June 30. Applications for rent relief can be put in as of March 15, and relief will be administered on a first come, first served basis.
The Milpitas Family First group, a grassroots group of concerned citizens in Milpitas focused on advocating for homeless children and their families, has been working to get the word out to as many Milpitas residents as possible who may be struggling to keep up with their rent.
In an interview with The Beat, Assemblymember Alex Lee explained the forthcoming relief (coming by way of measure SB 91): “Folks cannot be evicted simply because they simply do not have the money due to COVID.”
Originally, the COVID-19 eviction moratorium was set to expire on January 31, but now $2.6 billion in fresh rental relief will be made available. Said Lee, “There could possibly be more money as federal stimulus kicks off through the Biden administration.”
He added, “Here’s the important kicker…If a landlord applies, they get 80% of the rent that’s owed.”
Although this means landlords accepted to receive the relief will have to forego the remaining 20% of the rent, if the tenant applies rather than the landlord, the relief will (a) be less than 80% and (b) still go to the landlord anyway.
Lee called the setup “Highly imperfect” and stressed, “I really, really urge landlords to opt in…Then you’re getting 80%.”
Meanwhile, big and small landlords alike are eligible for the funds on offer, so Lee says smaller landlords such as some in Milpitas should be on the lookout for relief application information as of early March.
By some estimates, 700,000 Californians face eviction due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
We will update with more.
