Santa Rosa accepting applications for emergency rental aid

The city of Santa Rosa is accepting applications this month for emergency rental aid meant to help tenants struggling to cover housing costs.

Applications, due by March 31, place qualifying renters on a waiting list for the federally supported HOME Rental Assistance program, which typically covers 60-70% of monthly housing costs for up to two years.

To be eligible, applicants must meet income requirements capped at $48,900 for an individual up to $92,160 for a family of eight.

Applications can be filled out online, with additional assistance available by phone, 707-543-3324.

Applications received after the March 31 deadline will be placed into a lottery for slots on the waiting list.

New rental aid applications accepted by Sonoma County for its pandemic rental assistance program were paused last month. County officials said at the time they had granted nearly $25 million to over 2,100 households. About $15 million remained to cover the roughly 4,000 households still in line for assistance, officials said.

Countywide, an estimated 8,000 local households were saddled with $27.6 million in rental debt at the end of last year, according to the National Equity Atlas, a data tool by University of Southern California researchers.

For more information on Santa Rosa’s emergency rental aid program, visit srcity.org/HOME.