South San Francisco presents hire help | Native Information

South San Francisco will again offer rental assistance to residents at risk of being evicted, with $287,500 approved by the City Council to go to the program that was depleted in late June.

Mark Nagales

The city first began offering the funds in April 2020, a month before the pandemic lockdowns. The City Council allocated $529,500 to the program that year, from which residents had been able to apply for up to $4,500 in one-time assistance.

Mayor Mark Nagales said he hoped reinstating the program would help stave off a “cliff of evictions” following the state’s eviction moratorium that ended in April.

“This is really an anti-displacement initiative that we’re putting forward,” added Councilmember Eddie Flores.

The program was previously used to supplement state rental assistance, which was offered beginning in March 2021 but ended in April this year. It will continue to complement county rental assistance offerings, which are ongoing.

Those who have been ineligible or already exhausted the state and county options can apply for the city’s assistance, said Nagales.

The city’s rental assistance has been handed out to 135 households, with average payments of roughly $3,300, according to the city’s data. The assistance is handed out by the YMCA, which serves as a resource center for northern San Mateo County. The center also distributes the county’s assistance.

Councilmembers expressed interest in extending eligibility to those who have previously received the city’s assistance, as well as allowing funds to be used for utility bills.

Nagales also requested further data collection to track whether the funds were actually helping people stay housed in the city.

“We need to know if the money we’re giving is actually working, or are we only just stop-gapping for a month and then next month they’re gone,” he said. “We need to know this so that we can have a conversation in terms of other things we might need to do to help our residents.”

Elida Sobalvarro-Ramirez, an associate director at the YMCA, said she had recently seen an increased demand for rental assistance, including from those who had already received aid.

“Everyone is facing increased rent, limited income capacities, so we have had multiple families request multiple times,” she said.

As with in 2020, the funds will come from the city’s “low- and moderate-income housing fund,” which is a product of the dissolution of the city’s former redevelopment agency, and currently contains $2.3 million. The state abolished redevelopment agencies in 2012, which had been formed by California cities and counties to issue bonds for development projects.

State law allows cities to spend up to $250,000 per fiscal year from its former redevelopment agency funds to prevent or address homelessness. Of the city’s appropriation this year, $37,500 will be for administrative costs associated with dispensing the funds.

The city’s program is open to anyone regardless of citizenship status. It’s also open to those who sublease. Those looking to apply should call the YMCA or visit in person at 1486 Huntington Ave.