San Francisco Hire Reduction Tracker
UPDATE 11/29/2021 11:35 a.m. This is the latest in a series that tracks the financial assistance of San Franciscans with rent debt. We aim to publish updated figures every week.
More than a month after the moratorium on evictions related to COVID-19 ended, rental aid applications far exceed approved funding in San Francisco and continue to rise.
State and local officials estimated that more than 15,700 households had applied for around $ 248 million in rental and utility grants by last week, eight months after the government launched a financial aid program to cover tenants’ housing costs due to the severity of the pandemic.
With that, the inquiries go well beyond what is available to the residents of San Francisco: $ 182.1 million, some of which is for administrative expenses.
The Public Press previously reported that $ 152.1 million in rental aid was available, based on numbers the mayor’s office released in July. The office has now updated that figure to $ 182.1 million and found that there is an additional $ 30 million available in tax revenue from two local voting measures – Proposal C, a tax on businesses that was passed in 2018 to fund homeless services , and Proposal I, an increase in the real estate transfer tax passed in 2020 in part to support landlords who forego rent payments from coronavirus-affected tenants.
San Francisco rent relief funds could rise as the state redistributes money from districts where demand for financial aid has been low, state spokesman Russ Heimerich said in October. He couldn’t specify how much more money San Francisco could get or when, and didn’t respond to later requests for updates.
Heimerich also said that an accurate count of the total grant requested was not available. The city and state ran parallel rent reduction programs through early September when the local program was rolled out. At the end of October, employees switched applications from the local to the state program, and this process affected the ongoing balance sheet.
We will post updates from Heimerich as soon as we receive them.
San Francisco’s rental debt ranged from $ 147 million to $ 355 million in June, according to the latest estimate by the city’s Board of Directors’ Budget and Legislative Analyst’s Office. The figures are based on unemployment rates that peaked in April 2020, leaving up to 33,200 tenants unemployed and not returning to pre-pandemic levels during the period studied.
San Francisco residents should apply for the state program if they owe money for rent or other housing bills due in or after April 2020. You can also apply for financial support for future housing costs.
The nationwide eviction moratorium to protect tenants unable to pay rent due to COVID-19 hardship was originally supposed to end on January 31, but lawmakers extended it twice. After the final end date, September 30, tenants in San Francisco were threatened with eviction if they did not pay at least 25% of the rents due in the previous 13 months and the October rent. State regulations say courts should not initiate an eviction action unless the landlord has applied for rental allowance and either the application has been denied or the renter has failed to complete their portion of it within 15 working days.
Starting this month, landlords can sue tenants for unpaid rent due from March 2020 to September 2021. If a landlord pursues the claim before a minor court, he and the tenant must represent themselves in court.
Are you threatened with eviction? Call or email the Eviction Defense Collaborative at (415) 659-9184 [email protected] as quickly as possible. The organization recommends that tenants respond within five days of the delivery of the court documents in order to avoid the risk of a default judgment against them.
Is your landlord suing you for pandemic rental debt collection? Read our guide to how small claims courts work and how to reason your side of the case here.
