Preventing Homelessness in Our Community

$42 million has gone to 15,530 families throughout the pandemic

Our latest phase of rent relief launched in May, and in the two months since, another 3,000 households have applied for assistance. The majority of these households are not just behind on rent, they’re truly in crisis.

The average family is more than $8,000 behind on rent and only making about $22,000 per year, putting them at very real risk of being pushed into homelessness without financial relief.

But thanks to the herculean efforts of dozens of our nonprofit partners on the frontlines of this rent relief effort, we’re supporting families who have been hit the hardest to help them keep their homes. 

The households we’re working with report widespread lack of reliable internet access and lean heavily on trusted networks for information and resources. Many are living without a traditional lease or have irregular sources of income. And many others face obstacles with their landlords.

These systemic barriers require focused strategies to ensure everyone who needs assistance is able to access it in a way that works for their family.

Undeterred, 45 organizations signed-up to administer the latest phase of rent relief to ensure assistance gets to those who need it most. On top of the many other essential services they already provide, these community partners are spending countless hours to reach the most in-need households, guide families through the application process, liaise with landlords, and disburse funds.

Due to these efforts, we have collectively provided more than $42 million to 15,530 lowest-income households since the beginning of the pandemic. This includes more than $4 million in federal rent relief to 400+ families since June, with the pace of distribution increasing with each week. 

Despite these signs of progress, we still have much work to do. It’s clear that we must continue to make deliberate efforts to ensure the millions in recovery resources allotted to Santa Clara County reach our lowest income neighbors who’ve borne the brunt of the pandemic.

The extension of the statewide eviction moratorium has provided more runway to deploy these critical resources, but it will still be a race against the clock to help the estimated 30,000 households behind on rent in Santa Clara County. And we’re committed to doing everything we can to ensure more families like the Rodriguez’s recover from this devastating pandemic.

We encourage any resident who needs help paying rent to submit an application ASAP. Please visit SCCRentHelp.org or call 2-1-1 for specific eligibility criteria, information on how to apply, and to be connected to community partners who are available to help residents fill out applications for rent relief.

Special thanks goes to our core partners at the County of Santa ClaraCity of San Jose and Sacred Heart Community Service who’ve been vital to the success of local rent relief efforts throughout the pandemic.

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