Applications are once again being accepted for an emergency rental assistance program designed to assist families on the verge of homelessness.
Fourth District Supervisor Doug Chaffee funded the pilot program earlier this year by allocating $1 million from his district discretionary funds. The program runs in partnership with the nonprofit Friendly Center, supporting families living in District 4 — including the cities of Brea, Buena Park, Fullerton, La Habra, Placentia, Stanton and parts of Anaheim — with up to three months worth of rent relief.
Chaffee said the first round of the program helped 35 households, or 135 residents, from falling into homelessness. The Friendly Center will continue to follow up with participants three months, six months and one year after they complete the program.
“The average monthly rental assistance we’ve been giving out is $2,077, and this is with a range of as little as $909 per month to the highest amount was $5,350 — that included, in that case, security deposit assistance. We work directly with the landlord. We do not make payments directly to the tenant,” Chaffee said.
“We’re learning,” he said. “I think we’ve done some good work. We need to do more and streamline the program, make it better.”
For example, the application process, Chaffee said, has been simplified this time around to make it easier for applicants and to be able to move them through the process toward rent relief more quickly.
The goal of the program is to prevent folks from falling into homelessness, Chaffee added, because once a person ends up living on the streets, it’s much more difficult to get back on their feet.
“The fewer people who are homeless, the more we can help those who actually are homeless because there will be fewer of them,” Chaffee said.
The county’s last “point in time count” reported that 1,172 people said that they were experiencing homelessness for the first time in the past year.
“I’m hoping that if we keep people out in the first place, the next time we have to do a ‘point in time count,’ we’ll show fewer people, and that we’ve done a better job up front,” Chaffee said. “That’s how that works into that, if you can spend more time with fewer people who are homeless, I think we can do a better job with them.”
To be eligible for the pilot program, residents must be at risk of losing housing due to unpaid rent, be considered a low-income household and agree to case management with the Friendly Center. Applicants must also be experiencing a sudden change in income due to sudden medical emergencies, loss of employment or loss of a partner or family member on the rental lease.
Funding is limited and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Residents interested in applying can visit FriendlyCenter.org/ERAP or call the Friendly Center’s Rental Assistance Hotline at 714-769-8777 which will have a live operator every Monday between 2-5 p.m.
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