City of Long Beach Now Accepting Applications for Emergency Rental Assistance

Long Beach, CA – The City today announced that application forms and program materials are available for a newly launched rental assistance program that will help provide relief to qualified tenants affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The program was unanimously approved earlier this month by the City Council.

“This emergency program will help provide much-needed relief to hundreds of Long Beach renters and their landlords as the pandemic continues to impact our City,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “Providing direct support to those who need it most is critical to keeping our economy going.”

The Long Beach CARES Emergency Rental Assistance Program (LB CARES), which is being administered by the City’s Development Services Department, will provide up to $1,000 per month of rental assistance payments for up to three months on behalf of qualifying Long Beach residents who have lost income due to COVID-19 and meet federal low-income requirements. The monthly assistance payments will be provided directly to property owners or landlords on behalf of qualifying residents and will be applicable to rent due during the eligible period from March 27, 2020, until the end of the City’s Safer at Home Order.

“The Housing and Neighborhood Services Bureau of Development Services is pleased to help our community by providing rental assistance during this pandemic,” said Oscar Orci, Director of Development Services. 

Eligible applicants will be required to submit documentation confirming substantive income losses caused by job layoffs, furloughs or reduction in hours or pay during the COVID-19 pandemic period beginning March 27. All documentation, including rental lease agreements, will be subject to verification.

Information and application materials (available in English, Spanish, Khmer and Tagalog), including eligibility requirements, are available on the program website: longbeach.gov/lbcares.

Specific program details are as follows:

• Applicants may request that application materials be sent by postal mail by calling 562.570.3000 during business hours or emailing LBCares@longbeach.gov.
• Applications also may be picked up in-person from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays only at the Long Beach City Hall Plaza (411 W. Ocean Blvd.) The pick-ups began on June 30 and will continue until Thursday, July 23, 2020.
• To give prospective applicants time to review the program requirements and gather necessary documents, completed application packages will be accepted by postal mail only from Monday, July 13, to Monday, July 27, 2020.
  • The packages must be postmarked by no later than July 27 and mailed to: Long Beach CARES Emergency Rental Assistance Program, 411 W. Ocean Blvd., 3rd Floor, Long Beach, CA 90802.
• Completed application packages may also be submitted in person between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays only at the Long Beach City Hall Plaza.
  • In-person applications are accepted starting on Tuesday, July 14, continuing through Thursday, July 23, 2020.
• Online submissions will not be accepted.
• All applications will be placed into a lottery pool. Approximately 1,700 applications will be randomly selected in August of 2020.  
• City staff will review and verify the selected applications. Additional lottery drawings may occur to replace any incomplete or ineligible applications that were originally selected.
• Applicants will be notified of their results as soon as possible by postal mail. 
• City staff will contact the applicant’s property owner or landlord for an IRS W-9 form and Program Participation-Payment Acceptance Agreement.
• If approved, a check will then be mailed directly to the property owner/landlord on behalf of the eligible applicant. Payments are estimated to be issued beginning August 24, 2020.

LB CARES is funded by a $3 million federal Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) and $2 million in re-appropriated HOME Investment Partnership Program funds. Additionally, the Office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn has contributed $300,000 in funding for the program. 

For additional information or questions about LB CARES, call 562.570.3000 during business hours or email LBCares@longbeach.gov. 

In a related effort, the City Council is also currently exploring various assistance options for property owners who have been impacted by COVID-19, including property tax refunds and the possibility of a revolving loan fund. In May, the City approved the extension of an emergency ordinance that halts evictions for residential and certain commercial tenants.

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.

• ENGLISH: Due to the level of urgency and frequently updated information, the City of Long Beach is using Google Translate to share COVID-19 information in multiple languages.
• SPANISH: Debido al nivel de urgencia y la constante actualización de información, la Ciudad de Long Beach está utilizando Google Translate para compartir información de COVID-19 en varios idiomas.
• KHMER: ដោយសារកម្រិតនៃភាពអាសន្ន និងការវិវត្តន៍ពត៌មានទាន់ហេតុការណ៏ ទីក្រុងឡុងប៊ិចកំពុងប្រើប្រាស់ កម្មវិធីបកប្រែហ្គូហ្គល ដើម្បីចែករំលែកព័ត៌មានស្តីពីវីរុស COVID-19 ជាច្រើនភាសា។  

For more information go to longbeach.gov/lbcares