Santa Maria native Marie Sherwood was set to move to Arizona on April 1, but the COVID-19 pandemic changed her plans.
“COVID hit, and I kind of got trapped here,” said Sherwood, who has been living at her Orcutt residence for more than a year.
At the end of September, Sherwood called her landlord to make arrangements to possibly pay the rent late during the public health crisis.
She thought, “If I could just put it (rent) off for a week, I could still make it.”
Sherwood’s landlord suggested visiting Santa Barbara County’s website with information about rental assistance for residents who have experienced a loss of income because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the funds were gone. On the site, she noticed a link to the United Way of Santa Barbara County.
“I clicked on it just on a fluke,” Sherwood said. “I fell into it, and it was fortunate because it was getting a little scary.”
Sherwood said she is self-employed, and she didn’t qualify for unemployment compensation or food assistance programs. Less than half of her income has dropped during the months-long pandemic, she said.
The COVID-19-related hardships were catching up, and the monthly rent payments kept coming during the fast-changing global health crisis. Her work dropped substantially, and the following month she applied for a rental assistance program. Sherwood’s work is based on the local court system remaining open.
“COVID had finally caught up with me, and I was having trouble with finding the money,” she said.
Timing might have been the pathway to rental financial support.
Sherwood said she is grateful to learn about the rental assistance program.
“I was over the moon that it happened,” Sherwood said, noting the high cost of living in California. “It was a godsend.”
In partnership with Santa Barbara County, the United Way provided rental assistance grants to eligible individuals and families living in unincorporated areas. If approved, families received up to $1,000 in rental assistance per month for up to three months. Payments went directly to the landlord to ensure the money was used for rent payments.
To date, nearly 500 qualified households have been funded, with more than $1.5 million distributed.
“The goal of the program is to maintain people housed,” said Steve Ortiz, president and CEO of the United Way of Santa Barbara County.
Eligible applicants must meet specific requirements and have experienced a loss of income because of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as can demonstrate the need for rental support, according to United Way.
Eligible residents must have income at or less than $66,750 for people living in unincorporated areas of the county and the cities of Buellton, Solvang, Carpinteria and Guadalupe. Santa Barbara residents qualify based on income level.
The need for rental assistance in the county is widespread.
“As you look at the needs overall, it has become clear that it’s a ripple effect,” Ortiz said. “People lose their job or their income, then other needs arise.”
The rental assistance grants through the United Way will expand beginning this year, and the online application will open this month.
There is $1.9 million in funding available for 2021. The program will provide rental assistance for up to three months and a maximum of $5,000 per family.
“What we found is that families could use a lot more,” said Dinah Lockhart, deputy director for the county’s Housing and Community Development Division.
The funds were made possible by Santa Barbara County and the Santa Barbara City Council through federal grants received from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, as well as Community Development Block Grant money.
To date, at least $4.8 million was received in CARES Act and CDBG funds to provide rental assistance grants and other services for residents in the county.
Santa Barbara, Lompoc, Santa Maria and Goleta had funding allocated through the CARES Act for the CDBG program, and most of the cities used the money for emergency rental assistance. The county received an allocation of CARES Act money — a total of about $46 million in funding, according to United Way.
“These grants are geared towards some of our most vulnerable community members, but you find pockets of most vulnerable community members across our county,” Ortiz said.
As part of the federal CARES Act, the U.S. Housing and Urban Development allocated additional CDBG funds for states and local governments “to prevent, prepare for and respond to the spread of COVID-19.”
The county was awarded more than $740,000 in September and a new allocation of $1.1 million, according to Lockhart.
“Our first allocation of funding went quickly,” Lockhart said.
On Dec. 15, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors approved that allocation of up to $1.1 million, which was awarded to the United Way to administer the rental assistance program to help families and individuals on behalf of the county.
United Way’s website has the 80% area median income limits applicable to the emergency rent assistance program launching in January.
“This will help families,” Lockhart said. “The idea is to help families be able to make their rent to avoid eviction.”
There aren’t a lot of options for rent assistance money for the general public, Lockhart explained.
“For the traditional Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program, the waiting list is pretty much closed to the general public,” Lockhart said. “For families who don’t have any rental assistance, all they have available might be unemployment insurance, and after that runs out there’s no other option.”
The governor signed statewide COVID-19 tenant and landlord protection legislation, including preventing eviction if renters pay at least 25% of their rent and provide a declaration of COVID-19-related hardship. The law is set to expire Jan. 31.
In addition, the federal government has extended the eviction moratorium until the end of January.
Families who were protected for not paying rent are potentially at risk of eviction in February unless California lawmakers step in to help with legislation.
“It is a very serious situation,” Lockhart said. “We are hoping the state will extend the eviction moratorium maybe through the end of 2021.”
There’s also a need for additional landlord protection, Lockhart added. Some property owners face potential foreclosure because of the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For Sherwood, receiving the three-month rental assistance funding felt like winning the lottery.
“I was flabbergasted,” she said. “I was able to keep my head above water.”
For more assistance to local health and human services, the county’s 2-1-1 information line is available by calling 211 from the 805 area code.
The Northern Santa Barbara County United Way’s Home For Good program is helping connect families and individuals experiencing homelessness to resources. The information line is available by calling 805.450.3558. Click here for more information.
Click here for more information about the United Way of Santa Barbara County. The organization’s phone number is 805.965.8591.
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
