LOS ANGELES (KNX) — The U.S. Treasury Department approved an additional $68.7 million in rent relief funds for California as part of a $239.9 million national package, officials announced Friday.
The new funds are set to be added to the $5.2 billion California has already received in 2021 to help tenants impacted by COVID-19 make rent payments. Still, housing officials and advocates say $68.7 million isn’t enough — the state-run “Housing Is Key” program is seeking $4.2 billion more.
The state’s housing agency has also asked Washington for $1.91 billion more in rent relief, and plans to apply for even more assistance in 2022.
“California will need significantly more funding from future federal reallocations in order to continue to meet the needs of low-income California renters impacted by COVID-19,” Lourdes Castro Ramírez, secretary of the state Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency, told The San Jose Mercury News.
“Given the state’s large renter population and cost burden, we know demand for resources will continue in the months to come,” California Housing Director Gustavo Velasquez said in a statement. “California has some of the most cost-burdened renters and they should be prioritized as additional federal funding is made available.”
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