Marin broadens renter assistance with $4.6M outlay - Marin Independent Journal

Marin County volition usage millions of dollars successful national funds primitively provided for rental assistance to radical affected by COVID-19 to money a broader programme designed to assistance renters and forestall homelessness.

After distributing $27 cardinal successful rental assistance to much than 1,900 households since April 2020, the region has $4.6 cardinal remaining and mightiness beryllium capable to entree different $4 cardinal successful national funds, Deputy County Administrator Hyacinth Hinojosa told region supervisors connected Tuesday.

The supervisors authorized utilizing the $4.6 cardinal to money respective housing-related initiatives, including $2.8 cardinal to supply further rental assistance to Marin residents.

Since March 2020, Marin County has received much than $33 cardinal successful national funds, astir fractional of which was designated for reimbursing landlords for rent their tenants were prevented from paying owed to the effects of COVID-19. The different fractional of the national funds were besides earmarked for rental assistance, but the rules governing it are much flexible.

Prior to receiving the national money, the region had already received $6 cardinal from the Marin Community Foundation to assistance renters.

Marin’s archetypal allocation of rental assistance funds from the national government, immoderate $16.7 million, came done the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. That spending bill, which erstwhile President Donald Trump signed into law, provided $900 cardinal successful stimulus alleviation for the COVID-19 pandemic, including $25 cardinal strictly for usage successful reimbursing landlords for unpaid rent.

Marin’s 2nd allotment from the national government, astir $16.6 million, came done to the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, enacted aft Joe Biden became president.

“The usage of these funds does not person to beryllium related specifically to the pandemic,” Hinojosa said Tuesday.

Hinojosa said the county’s caller rental assistance programme would question to assistance radical who were deemed ineligible nether the rules of the erstwhile program. That would see radical who paid their rent during the pandemic but borrowed wealth to bash truthful and those who were subtenants.

Hinojosa said the caller rental assistance programme volition besides supply wealth to those who request currency to wage their rent oregon wage information deposits.

The region volition prioritize providing assistance to radical who gain 80% of the country median income, which amounts to astir $30,000 per twelvemonth for a single-person household, and applicants who person been evicted successful the past.

In addition, the supervisors approved spending much than $439,000 to supply ineligible assistance to renters, and landlord/tenant acquisition and mediation. The supervisors besides signed disconnected connected spending $250,000 to screen the administrative costs of the caller rental assistance initiative.

The supervisors besides approved spending $1.3 cardinal of the national funds connected efforts to forestall homelessness. The bulk of that amount, $700,000, volition beryllium fixed to the county’s nonprofit partners to administer to those who request speedy currency to wage rent, information deposits oregon inferior expenses to stay housed.

In addition, $300,000 was allocated to prosecute idiosyncratic to assistance radical for 2 years successful applying for national lodging vouchers done the Marin Housing Authority. Another $300,000 was approved to assistance underwrite the rents of 10 radical for up to a twelvemonth portion they’re waiting to get a national lodging voucher.

Hinojosa said the region has been incapable to entree astir $4 cardinal of the American Rescue Plan Act funds antecedently allocated due to the fact that a nonaccomplishment to conscionable definite benchmarks, but it mightiness beryllium capable to bash truthful successful the future.

Hinojosa told supervisors that the county’s archetypal rental assistance, which concluded connected Sept. 30, processed 100% of astir 4,000 applications that were submitted. Following the meeting, helium said arsenic galore arsenic fractional of the applications were duplicates.

Hinojosa said the programme was a occurrence “because of our collaboration with the assemblage successful starring with contention and equity arsenic 1 of our halfway principles.”

Hinojosa said that portion Latino residents marque up astir 16% of Marin’s population, 31% of those who received rental assistance from the region were Latino. He said 16% of those who received rental assistance were Black residents and 11% were mixed race. Black residents relationship for astir 3% of Marin County’s population.

Sixty-nine percent of those who received rental assistance gain lone 30% of the country median income.

County Administrator Matthew Hymel said Marin County chose to administer the national lodging funds itself alternatively than person the authorities bash it.

“We’re seeing the benefits of that determination astatine the process end,” Hymel said, “because we tin reprogram those funds for captious services to our residents.”

The process didn’t ever tally smoothly. Some landlords complained the process moved excessively slowly. Gary Armor said Tuesday that helium was ne'er capable to retrieve the $80,000 successful backmost rent owed to him by a tenant who rented his location successful Belvedere.

“Hinojosa’s unit denied my exertion connected the grounds that my tenant did not inhabit the property, based connected the information that helium had nary paid receipts for utilities, garbage, catv/internet etc., which were each paid by me,” Armor wrote successful an email. “Evidently, they did not work the lease statement which stipulated each costs were to beryllium paid by the landlord.”

In December, Eric Faulks, a erstwhile Marin County official, was charged with embezzling $1.9 cardinal from the county’s rental assistance program, which helium helped run.

Faulks pleaded blameworthy to 4 counts of expansive theft and volition statesman serving a six-year situation condemnation connected Nov. 30. Hinojosa said truthful acold the region has recovered astir fractional of the wealth Faulks stole.