ASSISTANCE DURING THE PANDEMIC HAS MOVED AT A SNAIL'S PACE. THE MONEY SENT BY THE FEDS AND
THE STATE WAS SO UNDERUSED AND
DIFFICULT TO ACCESS THAT
LANDLORDS FROM MORE THAN ONE
THOUSAND HOUSEHOLDS THROUGHOUT
THE COUNTY DID NOT PARTICIPATE
WITH THE RENT RELIEF EFFORTS.
BUT NOW STATE OFFICIALS SAY
THEY'RE WIPING AWAY RENT DEBT
FOR LOW INCOME TENANTS AND HOPE
THIS ALLOWS MORE TENANTS AND
LANDLORDS TO RECEIVE THE MONEY.
OUR INVESTIGATIVE PARTNERS AT
NEWS SOURCE HAVE FOLLOWED THE
SLOW ROLLOUT OF THE PANDEMIC
RENTAL AID. JOINING US THIS
MORNING IS MARY PLUMMER, AN
EDITOR AT EYE NEWS SOURCE WITH
MORE ON THIS STORY. MARY, GOOD
MORNING. GOOD MORNING. SO MARY,
WE'VE BEEN THROUGH THIS
PANDEMIC NOW FOR NEARLY A YEAR
MORE THAN A YEAR RIGHT? YEAR
AND A HALF. WHAT'S THE BIG
ISSUE WITH PEOPLE GETTING THIS
MONEY? WELL, I CAN TELL YOU
FOLKS ON BOTH SIDES ARE REALLY
GETTING EXHAUSTED BY THE
PROCESS RENT RELIEF MONEY WAS
SUPPOSED TO HELP EASE AND
PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR
PEOPLE HIT HARD BY THE
PANDEMIC. BUT IT'S BEEN QUITE A
NIGHTMARE TO GET ACCESS TO.
THERE IS A LOT OF BUREAUCRATIC
RED TAPE AND AS MY COLLEAGUE
CODY DELANEY HAS REPORTED, THE
REAL HANG UP HERE IS JUST THE
TIME THAT IT'S TAKING TO
PROCESS THESE APPLICATIONS
SUBMITTED BY RENTERS. PEOPLE
ARE GOING WEEKS WITHOUT HEARING
BACK. LANDLORDS ARE FRUSTRATED
TO THERE WAS A LOT OF CONFUSION
AMONG BOTH RENTERS AND
LANDLORDS ABOUT HOW THESE
PROGRAMS ACTUALLY WORKED. SO
IT'S BEEN A VERY SLOW AND QUITE
TROUBLED ROLLOUT SO FAR.
UNFORTUNATELY. AND YOU KNOW THE
STATEWIDE EVICTION MORATORIUM
FOR RENTERS HAS BEEN EXTENDED.
WE DON'T KNOW FOR HOW MUCH
LONGER BECAUSE YOU THINK
BECAUSE OF WHAT IS HAPPENING
NOW PEOPLE CAN'T GET THIS MONEY
.WELL, THIS FUNDING WHICH
WOULD COVER 100 PERCENT BACK
RENT GOES FROM APRIL 20 20
THROUGH SEPTEMBER OF TWENTY
TWENTY ONE. SO IT DOES COVER A
SIGNIFICANT PERIOD THAT SOME
ARE WORRIED THAT BECAUSE PEOPLE
HAVE BEEN STRUGGLING FOR SO
LONG THE TIMELINE MIGHT BE A
LITTLE BIT CONDENSED. CHANGES
HAVE BEEN GOING QUICKLY WITH
RENT RELIEF IN THE STATE. IT'S
REALLY BEEN A MOVING AND
DEVELOPING STORY THAT WE'VE
BEEN COVERING RIGHT NOW. AS I
MENTIONED THAT FUNDING WILL GO
THROUGH SEPTEMBER OF TWENTY
TWENTY ONE. SO MARY, WHY WOULD
A RACING PASS TO GET HELP MORE
PEOPLE APPLY FOR RENTAL
ASSISTANCE? WELL, STATE
OFFICIALS ARE HOPING THAT THIS
WILL INCREASE THE NUMBER
OF APPLICATIONS AND THE AMOUNT
OF MONEY GOING OUT THE DOOR.
IT'S HELP THAT'S REALLY BADLY
NEEDED ACCORDING TO ONE
RESEARCH FIRM STATEWIDE RIGHT
NOW OVER 700000 HOUSEHOLDS ARE
BEHIND ON RENT AND IN ADDITION
TO THAT HERE IN SAN DIEGO
COUNTY IT REALLY ALL HAS A HUGE
IMPACT ON THE ECONOMY IN THE
COUNTY. NEARLY HALF OF ALL
HOUSING UNITS ARE OCCUPIED BY
RENTERS. SO CERTAINLY A BIG,
BIG TRICKLE DOWN HERE LOCALLY.
YEAH. AND MARY, DOES THE STATE
THINK IT RACING RIGHT UP UNTIL
THE END OF SEPTEMBER IS ENOUGH
TIME FOR LOW INCOME TENANTS TO
CATCH UP WITH THEIR EXPENSES?
THERE ARE CERTAINLY CONCERNS
ABOUT THIS. THE APPLICATION
PROCESS HAS REALLY BEEN MOVING
AT A SNAIL'S PACE. SOME ARE
WONDERING IF THIS PROGRAM IS
GOING TO BUY ENOUGH TIME.
OVERALL THOUGH, I CAN TELL YOU
THAT THIS IS SEEN AS GOOD
NEWS THIS ADDITIONAL FUNDING.
PEOPLE WE INTERVIEWED FOR THIS
STORY ARE SAYING THAT THE
FINDINGS REPORT IS GOING TO
HELP BUT IT'S JUST A MATTER
OF REALLY OF HOW SOON THEY CAN
GET THAT MONEY ROLLING A LITTLE
BIT FASTER. WHAT'S THE RENTAL
ASSISTANCE LIKE NOW? DELAYS ARE
STILL HAPPENING BUT I CAN TELL
YOU THAT IF YOU'RE OUT THERE
AND YOU'RE LOOKING FOR HELP
PAYING YOUR RENT, YOU SHOULD GO
TO SAN COUNTY'S WEB SITE TO GET
MORE INFORMATION OR IF YOU LIVE
IN THE CITY SAN DIEGO OR THE
CITY OF CHULA VISTA, THEIR
WEBSITES WILL SEPARATE HEALTH
FOR THOSE RESIDENTS
SPECIFICALLY ONE TIP HERE EVEN
IF YOU'VE ALREADY RECEIVED
PARTIAL RELIEF WHICH WERE THOSE
PROGRAMS THAT WERE ROLLING OUT
EARLIER, YOU'RE STILL ELIGIBLE
TO GET FULL FUNDING ONE HUNDRED
PERCENT OF YOUR BACK RENT
COVERED IF YOU MEET THE
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS. SO
THERE MAY BE MORE MONEY OUT
THERE FOR YOU. AND AGAIN, THE
PERIOD THAT'S ELIGIBLE IS APRIL
OF 20 20 THROUGH THE END
OF SEPTEMBER. SO IF ANYBODY
WANTS TO READ THIS LATEST
INVESTIGATION I KNOW SOURCE
DOUG MARY, ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D
LIKE TO ADD? THANK YOU SO MUCH.
I A SOURCE THAT WORD IS OUR
WEBSITE. WE ARE A NONPROFIT
NEWSROOM AND REALLY APPRECIATE
THE COMMUNITY'S SUPPORT FOR
THIS INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING.
KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK MARY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING
US AND GETTING UP BRIGHT AND
EARLY WITH US. THANK YOU. GOOD
TO SEE YOU. THIS IS GOING TO
HELP A LOT OF FAMILIES. YEAH,
BOY, THERE'S JUST SO MANY
DEVELOPMENTS ON