OC Emergency Rental Assistance Program: Apply through Feb. 28

Apply for & Share Orange County's

Emergency Rental Assistance Program

The County of Orange's new Emergency Rental Assistance program is offering up to $10,000 for eligible renters who are unable to pay rent or utilities because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Applications are due by February 28.

ELIGIBILITY

Eligible households are renter households in which one or more people meets these criteria:

Qualified for unemployment or has experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced a financial hardship due to COVID-19;
Demonstrates a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability;
Has a household income at or below 80% of the area median income (AMI) (visit the application website to view income limits); and
Assistance is not duplicative of any other federally funded assistance.

Renters in Anaheim, Santa Ana, and Irvine are not eligible to apply. Those cities have their own rental assistance programs (click city names to learn more).

HOW TO APPLY

Visit ERA.211oc.org / Or text ERA to 898211 / Or call 211

Apply at ERA.211oc.org >

SPREAD THE WORD!

County of Orange has created a video as well as flyers in multiple languages:

Español

Vietnamese

English

Farsi

Korean

Chinese

Khmer

Learn More About Housing Insecurity in Orange County +

Resources to Help

Being unable to pay for rent and utilities, or not knowing how you will pay for them, is a form of housing insecurity. Housing insecurity, homelessness, and food insecurity are types of basic needs insecurity.

RISKS OF BASIC NEEDS INSECURITY

For students, poverty and basic needs insecurity have been linked to higher stress and anxiety and greater risk for behavioral and social-emotional challenges, physical health challenges, lower academic outcomes, and other difficulties (26th Annual Report on the Conditions of Children in Orange County).

BASIC NEEDS INSECURITY IN ORANGE COUNTY

In Orange County in 2020 (26th Annual Report):

24.2% of children experienced poverty, compared to 19.3% of children in California overall
6.8% of students experienced insecure housing. This includes homelessness (sheltered or unsheltered), living in hotels or motels, or doubling/tripling up with others.
In some school districts, 75% or more of students were enrolled in Free or Reduced Lunch programs.