SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Saturday, Aug. 31 marks the deadline for flood victims to apply for the San Diego Housing Commission's rental assistance program. There is still just over $2 million available for families to claim.
The program can help flood victims in several ways, including short term rental and deposit assistance, rent payments and housing search assistance. Over the last few weeks, the housing commission has heightened their engagement with possible applicants. Over that time, they have approved an additional 70 families.
The commission says that for many families, it has been difficult to find rent prices that match or are near what their previous mortgage payment was for their home. Many flood victims bought their homes over a decade ago when mortgage payments were much lower.
Since many families are unable to move back into their homes, rent is their only choice for housing. This has made it difficult for them to find a place they can afford.
Another concern that families have is their legal status. The housing commission wants to assure that this is a "low barrier program" and legal status is not a factor in your application.
"When somebody applies for assistance, the only thing we ask from the applicant is a copy of their identification," Azucena Valladolid, the commission's executive VP of rental assistance and workforce development, said. "If they do find a new home to access, if they find a new home for us to issue rental assistance, then we ask for a copy of the lease or the rental agreement and their landlord information so that we can collect information to start distributing payments to the landlord."
Once the applicant is approved, they will have until Sept. 30 to locate housing and gain access of the funds.
You can apply to the rental assistance program here.
