SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — A federal eviction moratorium is set to expire this weekend, but in California the state eviction moratorium will continue for at least two more months.
In San Diego County, COVID rental assistance money is still available for qualified applicants.
“Assistance is there. It's available. We encourage people to apply,” said Jose Dorado, a senior management analyst with the city of Chula Vista.
If you are behind on your rent payments, start out by going to erapsandiego.org where you can enter your address to find out where to apply for rental assistance.
“People need to know they can apply. So, if they have difficulty paying their rent, whether it be past due rent or future rent, they can apply for this rental assistance funding,” Dorado said.
Three agencies cover all of San Diego County when it comes to rental assistance.
Chula Vista is one area, the second is the city of San Diego, and the rest is covered by San Diego County.
The money is available to low-income applicants, but if you've lost your job recently, chances are you will qualify because the income level can be calculated over the past month.
“So let’s say you've been recently laid off, or you had a reduction in hours, or maybe you had a health issue; then, you could use your last 30 days of income to qualify for this program,” said Dorado.
COVID rental assistance now covers 100 percent of past and future rent, going as far back as April 2020.
The money goes to the landlord and either the tenant or the landlord can apply.
“A lot of folks are happy that they can focus on other responsibilities that they have to their families, instead of how they are going to pay their rent or if they are going to be evicted,” said Dorado.
Even if you are living in federal housing, you can still apply for rental assistance in San Diego County, according to Dorado.
WATCH RELATED: Applications open for San Diego County's Rental Assistance Program (March 2021)