Emergency Rental Assistance Program
Annual Report and Recommendation to Council
December 10, 2025
Program Goals
• Intended to promote antidisplacement and
homelessness prevention efforts
for low-income renters.
• Provide one-time assistance for
households facing financial
hardship.
Program Eligibility
• Must be a household within South
San Francisco earning 80% AMI or
less.
• Household can receive up to a
maximum of $4,500 in assistance.
• Assistance can be used toward
past due rent, security deposit or
past due utility payments.
• Must provide a plan demonstrating
sustainability beyond the financial
assistance.
About the Program
2 Administration Responsibilities
• Client intake & application
processing
• Landlord communication &
relationship building
• Financial planning with applicants
• Assessment of additional resident
needs
Administration Fee
• 18 % administration fee provided
to YMCA of SSF
• Represents 4% of YMCA of SSF’s
operating budget
What the fee covers
• Employee wages & benefits
• General administrative expenses
• Program supplies (e.g. diapers,
pantry food, essential materials)
Program Administration by YMCA Community Resource Center 3 • To Date, 323 households have received assistance through the City’s program. This accounts for:
• 905 individuals
• 362 of those under the age of 18
• Average household size: 2.8
• Average requested amount: $3,087.09
Households Served
4 Race/ Ethnicity
5 Latinx, 60.4%
Native American,
1.9%
Asian, 6.2%
Hawaiian/ Pacific
Islander, 1.2%
White, 16.4%
African American,
9.9%
Two or More Races,
0.9% Other/ Undisclosed,
3.1%
Applicants by District
6 66
19 56
32 150
14 8
25 10
50 3
1 12
10 3
5 7
12 14
5 13
6 35
15 2
3 2
19 10
0 10
7 22
DISTRICT 1 DISTRICT 2 DISTRICT 3 DISTRICT 4 DISTRICT 5
2020- 2025 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Applications Received November 2024 through April 2025
• Total of 23 households
• Of those, YMCA was able to reach 17
• 15 households reported to continue to be housed/ live in SSF • 2 households reported being unhoused
• 5 households reported facing ongoing housing instability Results from Applicant Follow-Up
7 • 75% of applicants between 2020 – 2025 reported the need for assistance due to a loss of income within the household • Examples included: sudden job lay-offs, changes to the number of income household earners, and funeral-related expenses.
• This number does not represent applicants who experienced sudden emergencies or unexpected costs, including one-time major expenses due to injury or car repair costs.
On-Going Need for ERA in SSF
8 • Staff recommends adopting a Resolution approving an appropriation of $235,000 for the City’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program. Funding will be used as follows:
• $192,700 towards Rental Assistance
• $42,300 towards Program Administration
Staff Recommendation
9 Emergency Rental Assistance Program
City of South San Francisco
THANK YOU