Covid-19: Homelessness Prevention Resources

• United Way has stood up a Pandemic Relief Fund to support L.A. County’s unsheltered residents who are especially vulnerable to the coronavirus, and low-income individuals, students, and families at imminent risk of homelessness and hardships due to health and economic impacts of coronavirus.

State and Local Eviction Protections

State of California

• The California Judicial Council has issued an emergency rule temporarily halting eviction proceedings during the duration of the COVID-19 crisis. Effective immediately, this rule change applies to all eviction cases in the state, regardless of cause, unless deemed necessary to protect public health and safety. Key provisions are below.
  • The new rule prohibits local courts from issuing a summons when an eviction case is filed by a landlord. 
  • In addition, courts are banned from entering an automatic default judgement when a tenant fails to file a response. 
  • For cases where a tenant has responded or appeared, all trial dates must now be postponed for at least 60 days from the request for trial or scheduled trial date.
• These measures will remain in place for 90 days after the end of state's emergency declaration, or until the Judicial Council takes action to appeal or amend the rule.

Local Jurisdictions

• The Los Angeles Superior Court is halting all eviction hearings until at least April 17th. If you have an existing eviction order or are concerned about an upcoming eviction, please be aware that you do not have to respond until at least April 17th.
• The City of LA is prohibiting evictions for people that can demonstrate loss of income due to COVID-19 restrictions and interruptions, and is also temporarily barring certain types of nuisance evictions for violations such as having a pet or an extra family member staying in the home. Tenants should document their loss of income, caring for a family member who is sick, or other reasons why they are unable to pay rent to the best of their ability. For tenants that are unable to pay their rent due to COVID-19 and are able to document it, there will be a grace period of 12 months following the lifting of the health emergency for tenants to pay their backrent.
• In Unincorporated County Areas, the County of Los Angeles has suspended no-fault evictions, as well as evictions due to non-payment of rent when the tenant can show they were unable to pay rent due to coronavirus. The County will also allow tenants six months after the health emergency is lifted to pay back rent. 
• Under an executive order from the Governor released on March 27th, no city in California can evict a tenant for non-payment of rent between now and May 31, 2020, if the tenant does the following:
  • Informs the landlord within seven (7) days after rent is due that they will be unable to pay rent due to COVID-19 and related circumstances; and
  • Retains documentation of their reason for inability to pay, such as a termination notice from an employer, medical bills, or payroll stubs showing a reduction in pay.
• Cities are able to go significantly further than the Governor’s order if they choose. The Governor’s order should be considered a floor for all cities and not a limitation on creating stronger eviction policies.
• Other cities have passed or are considering stronger eviction restrictions for some renters, including Baldwin Park, Burbank, Culver City, El Monte, Glendale, Inglewood, Pasadena, Santa Monica, and South Pasadena. If you live in one of these cities, please consult with your city’s website for more information.

Federal Housing Protections

• The federal stimulus, passed on March 27, 2020, suspended evictions for non-payment of rent in most HUD-funded units, if that non-payment comes after the passage of the bill (non-payment of rent prior to March 27, 2020 is still grounds for eviction). These eviction restrictions will be in place until at least July 25, 2020. Households receiving a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, residing in public housing, residing in the CoC-funded unit, a HOME or HOPWA funded unit, or other HUD funded programs cannot be evicted for non-payment of rent. For more information, please see here.
• The federal government has suspended foreclosures for mortgage holders where the loan is backed by Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, or the Federal Housing Administration.

Resources and Assistance

• Status of Evictions in Los Angeles in light of COVID-19, a memo from Inner City Law Center, provides an overview of the status of evictions in LA and lists tenant referral resources.
• Jewish Free Loan Association and Cedars-Sinai are offering interest-free loans that can be used for emergency housing assistance to prevent eviction, Section 8 housing needs including security deposits, first and last month's rent, and more.
• Preventing & Ending Homelessness Project (PEHP): Seven legal services organizations collaborated to launch PEHP, countywide, which is designed to remove barriers that prevent people from securing or keeping housing. This project supports legal services for three different sets of constituents–individuals, families, and transition-aged youth or “TAY” (16-24 years of age)–who are currently experiencing homelessness or who are at imminent risk of homelessness. Click the flyers below for more information.
  •     English
  •     Spanish
  •     Mandarin
• LAHSA funds Homelessness Prevention programs at various providers located throughout the County.  For more information about accessing these programs, please refer to the information available here.