C.V. SECURES $2M FOR RENTAL AID, BUT MORE IS NEEDED, OFFICIALS SAY

Chula Vista closed its application portal Monday for households seeking rental assistance due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but city officials said they are seeking additional funding to help more in need.

When those looking to apply for aid visit the city’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program website, they are faced with the notice that new applications, reapplications or recertifications are no longer accepted “because total requests for assistance exceed current available funding from the U.S. Department of Treasury.”

The program offers assistance to households that need help paying rent and utilities. There are eligibility criteria, which include income, risk of becoming homeless and financial hardships during the pandemic.

SBCS Corporation, the Chula Vista-based nonprofit running the city program, is currently reviewing 500 applications that were submitted before Monday, but had been stalled in the process due to the lack of funding, said Valerie Brew, a department director with SBCS.

Good news came Tuesday after the City Council approved $2.4 million in federal grant dollars it received for the rental assistance program. The money, however, is expected to cover only the qualifying applicants already in the process, and it will not allow for reopening the program to new applicants at this time, according to SBCS.

“We were so grateful to receive the additional funding from the city of Chula Vista to get us through all those applications that we’re currently processing,” said Brew.

Late last year, the city was notified that it had been approved for $2 million from the state Department of Housing and Community Development, as well as $409,000 from the U.S. Department of Treasury, though the city had asked the federal government for $5 million, said Jose Dorado, the city’s senior management analyst.

“We’ll put in another request and see how much the dollar amount is,” he said, adding that it is unknown when the Treasury will release timelines for new applications.

It’s evident there is still a great need for assistance related to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brew said.

SBCS data from December showed that 50 percent of applicants sought help due to a loss of job hours. Those given a priority in the application process have been households in danger of facing eviction, Brew said.

To date, the Emergency Rental

Assistance Program has allocated more than $32.3 million for rent and utility aid for 2,305 households, according to SBCS. About 75 percent of households assisted made 30 percent or below the area median income, and about 65 percent had at least one child living in the home, the agency said.

Brew said those still in need should continue to monitor the Emergency Rental Assistance Program website for updates. There, she added, they can also find additional resources.

For more information, chulavistaerap.com.

tammy.murga@sduniontribune.com visit