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Chula Vista greenlights nearly $17 million in rental and utility assistance

Help is also being offered on the federal level for landlords and other property owners struggling to make their mortgage payments.

CHULA VISTA, Calif — Help is on the horizon for some Chula Vista tenants struggling to pay their rent during the pandemic. Tuesday night, Chula Vista leaders passed a nearly $17 million rental relief package, which will also provide Chula Vista residents who've been impacted by the pandemic help with paying utility bills as well.

"We are very thankful for the money that is coming down from both the state and the federal government, " Chula Vista Mayor Mary Casillas Salas moments before the vote was cast. Only council member John McCann abstained, due to a conflict of interest.

This desperately needed assistance will provide $16.8 million in state and federal funds, but comes with strict guidelines. To qualify for help, renters must provide documentation of financial hardship due to COVID-19, such as job loss, reduced hours at work, or a business closure.

Also, applicants must have been current on their rent prior to the start of the pandemic, can not be receiving any other rental subsidies, such as Section 8 assistance, and must be a resident of the city of Chula Vista.

With assistance for renters now ramping up in the South Bay and throughout the county, there is also help being offered on the federal level for landlords and other property owners struggling to make their mortgage payments.

"People have been impacted by the pandemic, they've been impacted by economic downturn," said White House press secretary Jen Psaki.

This includes an estimated 10 million homeowners nationwide who are behind on their mortgage payments.

Tuesday, President Biden extended a current ban on housing foreclosures for federally backed mortgages to June 30, which was set to end on March 31.

The White House is also extending the enrollment window for borrowers hoping to request mortgage payment forbearance, as either a pause or a reduction in payments.

This relief also provides a six-month extension to those borrowers who had already entered into forbearance before June of last year.

"It remains critical that Congress pass the American Rescue Plan to deliver more aid to struggling homeowners," Psaki added. 

For more information on the rental assistance program in Chula Vista, click here. There, you'll receive information on how to sign up to be notified once these funds are available.

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