Bay Area
City of Oakland Receives Millions of Dollars to Help Tenants, Property Owners with Back Bills
The City is partnering with four local community-based, not-for-profit organizations – Bay Area Community Services (BACS), Catholic Charities East Bay, Centro Legal de la Raza, and Eviction Defense Center – to engage with and identify potential applicants as well as to screen and process applications.
The City of Oakland’s Keep Oakland Housed Emergency Rental Assistance Program (KOH/ERAP) began accepting applications April 1, 2021. The program, one of two being offered to Oakland residents and property owners, targets the most vulnerable community members who are behind in rent and/or utilities. The City is partnering with four local community-based, not-for-profit organizations – Bay Area Community Services (BACS), Catholic Charities East Bay, Centro Legal de la Raza, and Eviction Defense Center – to engage with and identify potential applicants as well as to screen and process applications. Tenants may apply to the City’s program through a single portal (linked below). Property owners are also eligible to apply for funding for unpaid rent and/or utilities on behalf of their tenants once gaining written permission from the tenants. There are currently two rental assistance programs offered to Oakland tenants and property owners simultaneously – the City program known as Keep Oakland Housed Emergency Rental Assistance Program (KOH/ERAP) and the State program often referred to as SB 91 Rental Assistance Program. Duplicate applications to both programs is strictly prohibited, and there are distinct differences in eligibility requirements. As such, anyone who thinks they may be eligible should contact a partner agency for individual case review. See partner contact information below.
The application period for the City program opened April 1, 2021 and runs through March 31, 2022, or until funds are exhausted. The City program serves: • Tenants at or below 50% of Area Median Income (AMI) – $65,250 for a four-person household.
• Property owners of 100% restricted affordable housing.
• KOH/ERAP is managed by the city in partnership with local partner agencies
The State program serves: • Tenants above 50% AMI – $65,250 for a four-person household.
• Property owners applying for their building(s).
• The State program will pay up to 80% of rent owed; 20% must be forgiven.
• The State program, SB91 Rental Assistance Program is managed by Horne LLP and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC).
More Information or Apply Now City of Oakland: • Call the Housing Resource Center (510) 238-6182
Partner agency contact: • Bay Area Community Services (BACS) – (510) 899-9289
• Catholic Charities of the East Bay – (510) 860-4985
• Centro Legal de la Raza – (510) 437-1554
• Eviction Defense Center – (510) 452-4541
Find the Keep Oakland Housed Emergency Rental Assistance Application: https://hpp.bayareacs.org/ L. Autumn King is in the City of Oakland Administrator’s office. |
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.
Alameda County
DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland
Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.
Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.
Bay Area
State Controller Malia Cohen Keynote Speaker at S.F. Wealth Conference
California State Controller Malia Cohen delivered the keynote speech to over 50 business women at the Black Wealth Brunch held on March 28 at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco. The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.
By Carla Thomas
California State Controller Malia Cohen delivered the keynote speech to over 50 business women at the Black Wealth Brunch held on March 28 at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco.
The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.
“Our goal is to educate Black and Brown families in the masses about financial wellness, wealth building, and how to protect and preserve wealth,” said ABWA San Francisco Chapter President LaRonda Smith.
ABWA’s mission is to bring together businesswomen of diverse occupations and provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support, and national recognition.
“This day is about recognizing influential women, hearing from an accomplished woman as our keynote speaker and allowing women to come together as powerful people,” said ABWA SF Chapter Vice President Velma Landers.
More than 60 attendees dined on the culinary delights of Chef Sharon Lee of The Spot catering, which included a full soul food brunch of skewered shrimp, chicken, blackened salmon, and mac and cheese.
Cohen discussed the many economic disparities women and people of color face. From pay equity to financial literacy, Cohen shared not only statistics, but was excited about a new solution in motion which entailed partnering with Californians for Financial Education.
“I want everyone to reach their full potential,” she said. “Just a few weeks ago in Sacramento, I partnered with an organization, Californians for Financial Education.
“We gathered 990 signatures and submitted it to the [California] Secretary of State to get an initiative on the ballot that guarantees personal finance courses for every public school kid in the state of California.
“Every California student deserves an equal opportunity to learn about filing taxes, interest rates, budgets, and understanding the impact of credit scores. The way we begin to do that is to teach it,” Cohen said.
By equipping students with information, Cohen hopes to close the financial wealth gap, and give everyone an opportunity to reach their full financial potential. “They have to first be equipped with the information and education is the key. Then all we need are opportunities to step into spaces and places of power.”
Cohen went on to share that in her own upbringing, she was not guided on financial principles that could jump start her finances. “Communities of color don’t have the same information and I don’t know about you, but I did not grow up listening to my parents discussing their assets, their investments, and diversifying their portfolio. This is the kind of nomenclature and language we are trying to introduce to our future generations so we can pivot from a life of poverty so we can pivot away and never return to poverty.”
Cohen urged audience members to pass the initiative on the November 2024 ballot.
“When we come together as women, uplift women, and support women, we all win. By networking and learning together, we can continue to build generational wealth,” said Landers. “Passing a powerful initiative will ensure the next generation of California students will be empowered to make more informed financial decisions, decisions that will last them a lifetime.”
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