PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA - The City has reopened the Long Beach Emergency Rental Assistance Program (LB-ERAP) for qualified landlords and tenants to apply for pandemic-related rental assistance. The reopening of the program is due to an additional $13.1 million the City has recently received in state and federal funding, bringing the program budget up to $64 million.  

“With this new funding, we strongly encourage all those who may be eligible for assistance to apply for this program,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “We know that many of our residents who have been financially impacted by the pandemic still need help. It's very important that we get folks the rental support they need.”

All LB-ERAP applications can be submitted via the program’s online information and service portal available on the LB-ERAP webpage, which also provides details about the program’s various income and eligibility guidelines. People seeking to apply, as well as those with incomplete or pending applications, may contact the support line, hosted by Yardi Systems, the City’s program partner, at 833.358.5372 for assistance from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. 

Eligible households may receive assistance to pay 100% of unpaid rents and utilities from April 2020 to present. Those who have started their online applications are especially encouraged to complete the submittal process. The new application period will remain open until all of the program funds are exhausted. Previously, the application period has been extended twice to encourage more participation. 

To date, a total of 1,690 landlord and utility providers have received or are approved for $12.1 million in rent and utility assistance on behalf of renter households. There are currently 13,278 registered applicants, including both landlords and tenants. However, of these, just 4,836 have been submitted by either a tenant and landlord or by a tenant only.  

The City and Yardi Systems are reviewing and contacting landlords and tenants to submit the missing documentation needed to qualify the households for rent and utility assistance. Tenant applications and income documents are required to complete the funding of the applications.  

LB-ERAP is separate from the State’s rental assistance program, and applicants should not apply to the State program if the unit for which they are seeking rental assistance is located in Long Beach.

State law AB 832, which was recently enacted, will extend the California moratorium on tenant evictions until September 30, 2021, and will now allow the program to pay all the unpaid rent for eligible tenants; payment can be made directly to the tenant if landlord participation or cooperation is lacking. The rental assistance payment must then be used to pay any unpaid rent owed by the tenant.

To help inform the community about LB-ERAP, program staff and community-based organizations will continue to conduct outreach activities in multiple languages across various parts of the City. 

For additional information about housing in Long Beach, visit longbeach.gov/lbds or view the City’s Resources for Homeowners, Renters and Landlords.

For the latest information on COVID-19, with details on all that the City of Long Beach is doing to keep our residents safe, visit longbeach.gov/COVID19 and follow @LongBeachCity on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. People may also visit longbeach.gov/COVID19data for up to date information regarding cases and vaccines in Long Beach.

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