The city of Palm Desert announced that it is re-launching its Emergency Rental Assistance Program to assist market-rate rental properties impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The program serves as an economic recovery tool for rental property owners and a safety net for low- and moderate-income households.
Eligible rental properties include multi-family homes (2 units or more), single-family homes (attached or detached) and accessory dwelling units. Qualified households must meet certain requirements, including having experienced a loss of income directly related to the pandemic and earning less than 80% of the area median income.
The program provides financial assistance in the form of rental arrears to rental properties for delinquent payments for April 2020 and/or beyond. The city estimates serving up to 60 qualified households with assistance up to $5,000 per rental unit.
Applications should be submitted by rental property owners or respective business representatives, not tenants. If applying on behalf of multiple rental properties (e.g., various apartment complexes), applicants are required to submit an application for each location.
The initial application is not intended for households. Once a rental property owner has opted in to the program, households may then apply for emergency rental assistance.
Electronic applications for funding consideration may be found at https://arcg.is/Peevi and must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Friday, April 2, 2021. The city will electronically contact the rental property owners within 14 days of the application deadline. The city expects the demand for emergency rental assistance will far exceed the amount of available funds, but all applicants will be contacted with the status of their application.
The program is funded under the CARES Act and is administered through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Rental property owners are required to enter into an agreement adhering to additional federal rules and regulation if they are awarded funds.
For additional questions, please email Senior Management Analyst Chris Gerry at [email protected] or call (760) 776-6335.
