California’s eviction ban, which protected tenants who experienced financial hardship due to COVID-19, is set to expire tomorrow. On Friday, landlords can begin the process of evicting a tenant who has failed to pay rent during the pandemic, with analysis showing about 900,000 California households are behind on rent. Tenants can gain assistance through the state’s Housing is Key program, but many are unaware of their options or intimidated by the process. That’s why L.A. Care Health Plan has awarded a $125,000 grant to Inquilinos Unidos (United Tenants), an organization that, through education and advocacy, has helped empower low-income tenants and prevent homelessness in Los Angeles.
For more than 30 years, Inquilinos Unidos has worked in the primarily Spanish-speaking, immigrant communities stretching across Los Angeles County, including Pico-Union, Koreatown, East Los Angeles, Hollywood, San Fernando Valley, and South Los Angeles. Through community organizing, education and advocacy, the organization has helped thousands of low-income families stay in their homes. Inquilinos Unidos helps the same communities that L.A. Care serves, and housing is critical to healthy living.
The L.A. Care grant will fund counseling, education, assistance with filing complaints with government agencies, and referrals for legal assistance. The education will include guidance for those facing landlord harassment. The grant will also help at least 40 tenants graduate from the Tenant Leadership Academy, a 17-week course that provides tenants with training in advocacy techniques and organizing skills to take on leadership roles in their own communities.
This grant, which will fund efforts over 18 months and provide support to more than 3,200 tenants, is aligned with L.A. Care’s commitment to advancing health equity in the communities the health plan serves. It also follows support for two previous Housing Stability Initiatives of $1.45 million in grants to legal aid agencies to help low-income Angelenos fight eviction.