AgdaPkt 2020-08-24 Joint SA PFA - Laserfiche WebLink

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6.H. - Page 3 of 5 ANALYSIS The City has been able to provide one month of rent assistance to all qualified applicants and is now working on providing a second and possibly a third month of assistance to households who are still unable to pay their rent due to COVID-19. As of August 7, 2020, the City had received 128 requests for second time assistance. However, staff anticipates that requests for second time assistance will increase and/or there will be an increase in new, first-time applicants, due to the uncertainty of federal unemployment benefits being extended and the anticipated expiration of the countywide eviction moratorium. The countywide eviction moratorium was adopted by the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors on March 24, 2020 and is set to expire on August 31, 2020. The moratorium prevents landlords from evicting tenants for non-payment of rent due to COVID-19 impacts or no-fault terminations. Tenants have six months to pay at least one-half of the total amount due and twelve months to pay the full amount due before a landlord can evict a tenant. However, this repayment option does not apply to rent that is due after the moratorium expires. In other words, a landlord could evict a tenant for non-payment of rent, if a tenant in unable to pay September rent. Additionally, on July 10, 2020, the Superior Court of San Mateo County issued Order #5 Related to Unlawful Detainer Proceedings and Judgements; this order suspended unlawful detainer proceedings through August 28, 2020. Per Order #5, unlawful detainer trials will resume starting in September. Finally, on August 13, 2020, the Judicial Council of California rescinded emergency rules enacted in April that temporarily prohibited evictions and judicial foreclosure proceedings as of September 1, 2020. In anticipation of the potential increase in rent assistance requests, staff is recommending two modifications to the program to maximize the City's ability to provide second time assistance and to help the greatest number of applicants. Grant Maximum Increase When the City Council approved expanding the rental assistance program, a grant maximum of $3,000 per funding source was established, as at the time the City was unsure if it would be able to assistant all applicants even one time. However, as the City is now moving into providing second and possibly third time assistance, staff recommends that the City Council increase the City's grant maximum to $6,000. This recommended amount is based on the average rent request of $2,000 and that the CDBG regulations allow the City to provide rental assistance for up to three months. It should be noted that while the grant maximum is $6,000, this does not mean all applicants are entitled to this amount. Rental assistance payments would still be paid based on the tenant's actual contract rent as well as funding availability. Remove In -Home Child Care Provider Set Aside ($100,000) On May 4 2020, the City Council set aside $100,000 of the $448,039 in CDBG-CV funds to be used to provide rental assistance to in-home child care providers. The City conducted outreach to 145 child care providers, which included email notifications and phone calls in English and Spanish. As of August 7, 2020, the City received fourteen applications from child care providers however only four applicants qualified for assistance. In order to qualify for assistance, the child care provider had to qualify as low-income, have no alternative sources of income to pay rent, and be licensed with the State. Page 3 of 5 1 S11 City of Redwood City 1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA. 94063 Tel: 650-780-7000 www.redwoodcity.org 91