Sacramento Housing And Redevelopment Agency Partners With The City And County To Offer Emergency Rental Assistance For Residents Having Difficulties Paying Rent Due To Covid-19

Sacramento, CA | Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency, in partnership with the City and the County of Sacramento, is offering emergency rental assistance for residents who have experienced a loss or reduction in wages due to COVID-19. The Agency will administer the Sacramento Emergency Rental Assistance (SERA) program to pay past due or current rent owed to landlords on behalf of eligible residents to prevent them from being evicted or becoming homeless.

The City of Sacramento received $89.6 million in Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF) from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES) to address the distressing effects of COVID-19 on the local economy. The City has provided a total of $4.7 million in Coronavirus Relief Funds to SHRA to administer homeless rental assistance activities.

The program is open to residents who are renting housing in the City of Sacramento or the unincorporated County of Sacramento, and were employed but experienced loss of or reduction in wages due to COVID-19. Applicants must meet additional criteria in order to qualify for the rental assistance to be paid to their landlord or rental property owner. To be income qualified for the program, the gross household income for families or individuals must be at or below 50% AMI. Priority will be given to, 1) families with minor children and income at or below 30% Area Median Income (AMI); 2) families with minor children and income at or below 50% AMI; 3) Families without minor children with income at or below 30% AMI; 4) Families without minor children with income at or below 50% AMI. Residents living in public housing or receiving ongoing rental assistance are not eligible to apply. Funding for the SERA program will end December 31, 2020; however, the program may close early if all funds are exhausted before the end of the year.

Applications will be accepted from Friday, October 9, 2020, until Thursday, October 22, 2020, and must be completed online at www.shra.org/sera. Applicants can receive help uploading required documents and other technical assistance in person at 816 Revere Street (Alder Grove) and 480 Redwood Avenue, between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., from October 9th through October 22nd.

Eligible applications will be placed in a computerized random order. Preferences will be given to families with minor children, families at 30% Area Median Income (AMI) and lower, and families with completed applications. Rental assistance payments may be issued up to $4,000 per household for past due rent with the balance applied to current rent payments if the applicant is still unemployed. Payments will be made directly to the landlord. Landlords will be asked to sign a statement of non-eviction.

For more information, go to www.shra.org/sera.