SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento City Councilmember Eric Guerra announced Tuesday $31.7 million in funding has been secured to help people on the edge of homelessness because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Guerra explained funding was coming from a combination of federal sources, the US department of treasury and the state business consumer and housing agency. He said the city is working with trusted community partners like Sacramento ACT, Sacramento FUEL network, and other community-based organizations to get that information out.
“This is great news for a lot of Sacramento families,” Mayor Darrell Steinberg said.
Unlike the first round, which limited the amount of assistance to $4,000 per family, the new money has no cap, according to a press release from the Mayor's Office of Civic Engagement.
The money can be used to pay back rent and utility bills.
Qualified applicants must have at least one person in a household be unemployed or lost wages, incurred significant costs or suffered financially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The mayor's office says those who earn 50% of the area median income or less, currently $38,850 for a family of three, will be given priority.
Landlords can also apply on behalf of their tenants, or tenants can apply on their own.
So who can people contact if they’re interested?
“The Sacramento Housing Redevelopment Agency is the first point of contact. But you can also contact the City of Sacramento at 311 or the County of Sacramento,” said Guerra.
Applications will open on February 25. For more information visit the SHRA website.
The Salvation Army has several programs to help people who are struggling to pay for rent, utilities and food, or need a job. | Dollars and Sense
