Supervisors approve agreements to improve financial allocation process

Courtesy of Marin County

Through February, the County of Marin had assisted 1,335 unique households by channeling federal and state funds into the hands of local tenants on the verge of eviction because of the COVID-19 pandemic and to landlords who experienced sudden income losses. In total, the County has paid out $21,549,174 in pandemic rental assistance.

Now, emergency aid will be distributed faster as the County increases staffing and improves the review process. It is adopting a software platform used by the State of California to distribute the remaining rental relief funds. On March 8, the Board of Supervisors approved agreements with two companies to assist with distribution of rental allocations in an efficient and compliant manner.

The County is entering into a $123,846 agreement with Neighborly Software for its subscription fee and data migration services and a $347,500 agreement with LiveStories to provide staffing for application intake and case management. The two firms will help the County administer its available balance of $11,636,249 earmarked to prevent evictions and homelessness related to COVID-19.

Since December, the County has distributed an average of $1.4 million in rental assistance per month. LiveStories has distributed more than $73 million in rental assistance funds in other jurisdictions. “The LiveStories team of trained and knowledgeable staff will augment the current rental assistance staff to distribute an additional $2 million per month in rent relief,” said Hyacinth Hinojosa, Deputy County Administrator.

The County has aimed to speed up the assessment process and offer more transparency to the rental assistance work that has been underway since the initiation of the program in February 2021. Effective March 15, the County will close the waitlist for new applications to align with the State of California plan to close the state portal and prioritize applicants with incomes below 30% of Marin’s median household income and those who went the longest with unpaid rent. (Thirty percent of the median household income in Marin is $38,400 for individuals, $43,850 for households of two, $49,350 for three, and $54,800 for four.)

The program has established multiple levels of review to ensure that applications meet eligibility criteria and the funds are spent to support the most vulnerable populations with the lowest income levels and those at risk of housing instability. The average time to approve a case once it reaches the final stage of review has been 30 to 60 days.

“We recognize that those most in need of pandemic related rental assistance are often those for whom barriers to access such a program are the highest,” Hinojosa said. “We work with our community partners to conduct outreach to those that need assistance with their applications including low income and non-English speaking populations.”

Clearing accumulated tenant debt is designed to provide a lifeline to the hardest-hit families and provide income stability for landlords. Landlords have legal freedom to pursue deferred unpaid rent, although state law requires landlords to demonstrate that they have applied for rental assistance and been denied. Once applicants living at 30% or below the county’s median income are served, staff will work to assist those living at 50% or below the median.

Since the end of the statewide eviction moratorium last fall, County staff has worked with nonprofit community partners to assure an equitable distribution of funds earmarked for eviction prevention during the pandemic. Several local agencies, such as Adopt A Family of Marin, Canal Alliance, Community Action Marin, North Marin Community Services, Ritter Center, St. Vincent De Paul Society of Marin, West Marin Community Services, and Women Helping All People.

Anyone needing help with the online application may call (415) 473-2223 or email staff to learn more about the Emergency Rental Assistance Program.

Property owners may call the District Attorney’s Consumer Protection Unit at (415) 473-6450 for assistance on rights and responsibilities. Renters are encouraged to contact Legal Aid of Marin at (415) 492-0230, extension 102, for inquiries on eviction protections.

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