La Mesa opens rent assist program 3 days next week

Here is a recent article printed in the San Diego Union Tribune on October 29th, 2020
By Karen Pearlman
LA MESA
La Mesa residents who are having a tough time paying rent because of financial issues related to the pandemic will be able to apply to the city for assistance during three days next week.
Home Start, which is overseeing the city’s Rental Assistance Program, will accept applications from 8 a.m. Monday through 6 p.m. Wednesday. There is $150,000 available.
“We are all feeling loss from COVID-19,” said Laura Tancredi-Baese, Home Start CEO. “We’re trying to help people avoid eviction and prevent homelessness.”
Tancredi-Baese said that during the previous round of rental assistance funding, the group was able to help 87 residents with nearly $600,000.
The La Mesa City Council in August voted to provide $1.8 million in Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act funding to businesses and residents. The money from the CARES Act was provided to the city by the county and state to help those facing financial hardship.
The city hired the nonprofit East County Economic Development Corp. to distribute $1 million to qualifying businesses that have had to close or modify. Home Start was in charge of distributing $600,000 that was earmarked for residents to go toward paying utility bills and rent, of which the group doled out $575,000. And about $200,000 more went to help defray some of the city’s costs during the pandemic.
The East County EDC was able to provide $875,000 of the $1 million to help 183 businesses. Home Start is using the balance of that money ($125,000) to open another application window for the Rental Assistance Program.
The program will be available to income-qualified La Mesa residents who can show their financial challenges from COVID-19. Those challenges include the loss of a job, late rental notices from landlords and overdue utility payments.
Applicants can qualify for one to three months of assistance for past due rent for a maximum amount of $5,000. Assistance may cover past due balances for rent beginning no earlier than March 1, 2020.
The website to apply is https://home-start.org/city-of-la-mesa-rental-assistance
Applications can be completed online or submitted at the Home Start office at 333 E. Main St. in El Cajon. For information on requirements or about the program, contact Home Start at lamesarentalassistance@gmail.com or call (619) 405-7058.
karen.pearlman
@sduniontribune.com