Monterey moving forward with renter assistance program

MONTEREY, Calif. (KION) Renters in the city of Monterey could soon see some relief for the economic downturn that has made it hard for so many to afford a living.

The city is coming out with a new renters assistance program, which they say is the first of its kind in Monterey County. They are prepared to use about $800,000 to help out renters for the next three months.

You either have to work or live in the city limits of Monterey. You also need to be in a certain income level and show you have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some renters and housing advocates worry the program will not go on long enough during a shutdown with no end in sight. They also worry that some of the qualifications will also leave people homeless.

Dorit Gersh lives with her boyfriend in a one bedroom apartment at the Casa Dela Vina Apartments in Monterey. She is paying about $1,600 in rent after she says she saw a $75 increase, additional charges she expects to be paying more of in the coming years.

"We're going to be $1800 for a one simple bed apartment next to a bowling alley, where it's really noisy and crowded. And I don't think it's fair," said Gersh.

Add a pandemic into the mix, in an area where rent prices are already through the roof, and things get more desperate.

"Salaries remain the same, rents keep going up. Milk products, food products keep going up and they keep jacking up the rent," said Gersh.

"Well, the city has… two-thirds of its residents are renters. And a substantial portion of our employees are in the service sector, people who are likely facing layoffs because of COVID-19," said Grant Leonard, the housing analyst for the City of Monterey.

In order to help renters, the city is hoping their assistance program will help qualified applicants.

Aside from having to either live or work in the city, you have to be under a certain income level to qualify. For example, an individual would have to make less than $54,000 a year; a family of four would have to make less than $77,000 a year.

You also will not qualify if you receive other forms of federal aid.

"So one of the issues with this program is that it's federally funded. So the federal government wants to make sure you're not receiving two types of federal aid for the same purpose," said Leonard.

Housing advocates say the income requirements and other restrictions will exclude many residents, and worry about more homelessness if eviction moratoriums are lifted.

Another concern: the assistance program only lasts three months for now.

"Three months, it's great, it's a start. But they should have it all year round," said Gersh.

The city says federal block grant funding limits the length to one fiscal quarter, or three months. The city says a rent freeze would have to be discussed by council in the coming weeks.

Staff is also looking at state grants to help fund the renter assistance program potentially over the next five years. They plan to launch it in two weeks by the end of August.