LOS ANGELES — A new report from Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez’s office found that Council District 1’s emergency rental assistance program provided nearly $390,000 to 69 households representing 206 residents, helping families resolve rental debt, avoid eviction and remain housed.
The served households reported an average annual income of approximately $22,000 while paying an average of $1,530 per month in rent, meaning housing costs consumed more than 80% of the average household’s income. Rental arrears ranged from several thousand dollars to more than $12,000.
“Ending the eviction-to-homelessness pipeline has been a top priority for our office since day one,” said Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez. “It is far less expensive, and far less traumatic, to keep someone housed than to wait until they fall into homelessness and attempt to rebuild the stability they have lost. For a family living paycheck to paycheck, one illness, reduction in work hours or encounter with federal immigration enforcement can put their housing at risk. This program kept more than 200 of our constituents housed and gave families the assistance they needed to recover.”
Although the program was available districtwide, its greatest impact was in Westlake, particularly around MacArthur Park, followed by Pico-Union. By preventing evictions and reducing the number of residents at risk of entering homelessness, the program complemented the office’s broader efforts to improve safety and stability in and around MacArthur Park.
"Rental assistance is a lifeline for Angelenos who are struggling in this economy, and one of most effective ways to prevent homelessness and keep families housed," said Kyle Nelson, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE).
“Rental assistance is critical for District 1 renters like Carmen Espinosa and Elba Cuevas, whose families have lost work hours amid the raids targeting Los Angeles’ undocumented communities,” said a representative from The Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE). “Elba’s husband has seen his hours cut at the car wash where he works, while Carmen is receiving workers’ compensation and no longer earning her regular wages. They are barely keeping up with rent, and any additional increase could put their housing at risk. Their stories, and those of other District 1 residents who have lost their jobs entirely, are exactly why rental assistance is essential to keeping families housed.”
The program served families with children, seniors, street vendors, day laborers, multigenerational households, people with disabilities, survivors of domestic violence, and tenants facing eviction proceedings, with 31 households reporting financial hardship related to ICE raids or other federal immigration enforcement activity. The program was administered through CD1’s direct assistance efforts and a partnership with Central City Neighborhood Partners (CCNP).
“The numbers only tell part of the story. Behind every application was a resident navigating complicated paperwork, language barriers and, increasingly, fear caused by federal immigration enforcement,” said Eduardo Rodriguez, Executive Director of Central City Neighborhood Partners. “Because CCNP is rooted in these neighborhoods, residents trusted us to help them navigate the process and access resources without judgment. This partnership demonstrates how public funding and community-based outreach can work together to reach families who are too often left out of traditional assistance programs.”
To continue preventing evictions and homelessness, the City Council today approved Councilmember Hernandez’s motion allocating an additional $300,000 to Central City Neighborhood Partners to distribute emergency rental assistance to Council District 1 households through June 30, 2027.