CITY
OF
OAKLAND
CITY HALL
•
1 FRANK H. OGAWA PLAZA •
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA
94612
#LoveLife
REBECCA KAPLAN
(510) 238-7008
Vice Mayor
FAX: (510) 238-6910
District At Large
TDD: (510) 839-6451
Date: October 27, 2022To: Members of City Council and Members of the PublicFrom: Vice Mayor Kaplan & Council President Fortunato BasRe: Emergency Rental Assistance Dear Colleagues on the City Council and Members of the Public, The FederalandStategovernmentshaveauthorizedfundingforEmergencyRentalAssistance,andOaklandhas advocated for, distributed, and funded emergency rental assistance, in order to reduce displacement,human suffering and other costs that could be caused by a wave of evictions in the face of financialstruggles. However, not allpaymentshavebeenmade,andsoourcommunityisconcerned,bothintermsoftenants facing the threat of eviction, displacement andhomelessness, andinterms of small landlords whohave not received payments, and are facing financial difficulty. This resolution calls upon the USDepartment of the Treasury, the Governor, and the California Department of Housing and CommunityDevelopment to fully cover all pending qualifying emergency rental assistance applications.
The long-standing housing affordability crisis in California intensified in 2020 when the COVID-19pandemic sparked an economic and public health crisis that threatened the housing stabilityandlives ofmillions. Low-income renters whostruggledbefore theCOVID-19crisiswereputinanevenmoretenuouspositiontopayrent due tojobloss andincreasedexpenses. Over 709,000households arecurrentlybehindon rent in California, their rent debt totaling approximately $2.5 billion based on analyses of rent reliefdistributions from the US Treasury Report and Census Household Pulse Survey Data.
In response to the growingneedtosupport renters, helpavoidfinancial hardships inour communities forsmall landlords, and prevent skyrocketing displacement and homelessness, the Federal and Stategovernments allocated funding to establish rental assistance programs. Thus far, the Cityof Oaklandhasreceived millions of dollars from the State and Federal governments to support renters and landlords;however, as of mid-October 2022, there were approximately 2,900 remaining waitlist applications toprocess, and a total of $9.5 to $10.5 million to pay out for all waitlist applications.
It is of the utmost importance that landlords are provided timely payment of missing rent to preventpotential evictions and sufferingfor Oaklandresidents. This resolutioncalls onthe USDepartment of theTreasury, Governor Newsom, andthe California Department of HousingandCommunityDevelopment torapidly and fully cover all pending qualified emergency rental assistance applications.
Thank you for your consideration,
Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan
City CouncilOctober 27, 2022File # 22-0873