The application for help from the City of San Diego COVID-19 Housing Stability Assistance Program is now closed.

Program staff will continue the process of reviewing applications, verifying eligibility and disbursing remaining assistance payments for eligible households for applications that were submitted by March 31, 2022 to pay for unpaid rent and/or utilities owed through March 31, 2022. However, no new applications are being accepted, and applicants are no longer able to edit applications. Statewide Eviction protections do not cover non-payment of rent accrued after March 31, 2022. That means tenants must pay rent and utility bills accrued since April 1, 2022.

For additional resources, please refer to the following:

Review Application

To check the status of an existing application.

Check Application Status

For San Diego Superior Court staff or landlords who do not have access to an application to check the status of an application.

Welcome

The City of San Diego COVID-19 Housing Stability Assistance Program helps to pay rent and utilities for individuals and families with low income in the City of San Diego who experience financial hardship due to or during the COVID-19 pandemic. Per guidance from the U.S. Department of Treasury, financial help this program provides to a household is not considered income for the household. The program does not ask about immigration status; it does not affect eligibility for the program.

Households that meet the following criteria are eligible to receive help:

  • Tenant has a City of San Diego address.
  • Household income is at or below 80 percent of San Diego’s Area Median Income (AMI), currently $104,100 per year for a family of four.
  • Household has an obligation to pay rent.
  • At least one member of the household has a reduction of income or other financial hardship due to COVID-19.
  • Household experienced or is at risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability.

Priority is given to households with income at or below 50 percent of AMI ($65,050 per year for a family of four), households with at least one adult who has been unemployed for more than 90 days immediately before and including the date of the application and have past-due rent, and households that received an eviction notice or summons.

The program can pay 100 percent of a tenant’s total Eligible Rent. Eligible Rent includes unpaid rental debt accumulated on or after April 1, 2020, and if funding is available, prospective assistance for up to three months of additional assistance to ensure housing stability. The program may pay up to a combined total (rent, utilities and other housing-related expenses) maximum of 18 months of assistance.

The program is required to give priority to paying past-due, unpaid rent. If a qualifying household has both unpaid, past-due rent and utilities, the program can provide assistance for both at the same time.

However, if a household is requesting help with only unpaid, past-due utilities or upcoming rent, the program will be able to provide assistance only if funds remain available after payments have been made for past-due rent for qualifying households. If funds remain available, the program can pay up to 100 percent of the tenant’s upcoming monthly rent for up to three months of additional assistance.

For more information on the City of San Diego COVID-19 Housing Stability Assistance Program, please refer to the following or call (619) 535-6921:

For help with your application, please contact one of the following Community-Based Organizations (CBO):

Applications may be started by the landlord on behalf of the tenant, subject to the tenant’s review and approval to submit. To start an application on behalf of your tenant, go to “Create a Landlord Account” to begin the registration and application process.

This project is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award numbers ERA0302, ERAE0043 and ERAE0321, awarded to the City of San Diego by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Disclaimer

Please be aware of scammers. City of San Diego (City) and San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) employees will not ask you for personal information, such as your Social Security Number, over the telephone related to this program. Please use a secure means to transmit personal contact information to SDHC for this program.

Any personal information provided to SDHC may be considered public records subject to public disclosure by requesting parties, pursuant to the California Public Records Act, though certain confidential information may be redacted prior to disclosure to requesting parties.

The City and SDHC are not responsible for any damages that may arise from the use of, the inability to use, or misuse of the online application portal and/or materials contained on the online application portal, or that result from mistakes, omissions, interruptions, deletion of files, errors, defects, delays in operation, or transmission, or any failure of performance.