All renters in the City of San Bernardino who meet the eligibility requirements may receive onetime rental assistance under the Eviction Prevention Program. Eligible households  can receive assistance for payment of up to six consecutive months of rent arrears.  Funds are paid directly to the landlord.  Please review the FAQ at the bottom of this page for a description of program eligibility.  The application will allow you to upload your eligibility documentation.  Information contained in this application will be provided to the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino (HACSB) for processing.
 
Here is what you need

1. A form of identification
2. A copy of your lease agreement
3. Proof of income of all family members dated within 60 days (establishing that your household is low-income)
4. Documentation demonstrating a COVID-19 related impact.
5. Notice of Rent Arrears or Demand Letter or invoice from the landlord

You will not be eligible for assistance without providing the above eligibility documentation. A complete application, including uploaded eligibility documentation, is REQUIRED to be considered for assistance.  

You will NOT be able to submit an application without uploading the required  eligibility documentation.

You must be a renter within the City limits for the City of San Bernardino.   Many people live in a county pocket surrounded by the City  - if you are not sure, please click on the link for the City Boundaries for San Bernardino

Forms

• Applicant - Application Form

 Application Process

1. COMPLETE AN APPLICATION FORM
   • Visit the link above to complete an application form and upload your eligibility documentation online.
2. SUBMIT ELIGIBILITY DOCUMENTATION
   •  Applicants must submit all required eligibility documentation. For a list of required and acceptable documents, see #6 of the FAQ below.
   •   An application is not complete, and will not be reviewed, until all eligibility documentation is provided. For information on how to submit eligibility documentation, see #6 of the FAQ below.
3.  COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR LANDLORD (Recommended)
   •  Funding is contingent on cooperation from your landlord. As part of the application process, some information will need to be verified through your landlord or property management company. If possible, please give your landlord or property management company notice.
   •  Please note that payments will be made directly to your landlord. Your landlord must complete and submit a W-9 form for payment.
4. APPLICATION REVIEW PROCESS:
   •  An application will only be reviewed once all eligibility documentation is submitted by the applicant.
5. PAYMENT:
   • Once your completed application has been approved and a W-9 has been submitted by your landlord, a payment will be processed to your landlord/property management company. Both you and your landlord will receive a confirmation of payment.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have Questions about the program, you can send them to sbhousingqna@sbcity.org or call 909-384-5746

1.) What is the Eviction Prevention Program?

The Eviction Prevention Program provides one-time assistance for payment of up to six consecutive months of rent arrears.

2.) How long will this program last?

The program will begin in November 2020 and continue through June 30, 2022 or until funds are exhausted.

3.) How do I receive rental assistance?

To be considered for rental assistance, you must complete an application. An application is not complete, and will not be reviewed, until all eligibility documentation is provided.

4.) Where can I apply and complete an application?

Interested residents can visit the applicant link above to apply.

5.) Who is eligible to receive rental assistance?

Applicants must meet all eligibility requirements.

• Renters in the City of San Bernardino with a lease agreement. Your address must be located within the limits of the City of San Bernardino.  If you live in another city or in an unincorporated area of the County, you are not eligible for this program.  If you address is not confirmed using the mapping link on the Survey Monkey application, you are not eligible for this program.
• Low-income to extremely low-income renters defined as individuals or families who earn 80% or below of the County area’s median income. [1] For example, this means that for a family of 4, their annual income must not exceed $60,250 or 80% AMI. See table below.
• Income Limits

  Persons in Family	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
  Income Limits ($)	>42,200	>48,200	>54,250	>60,250	>65,100	>69,900	>74,750	>79,550

• Renters that can document a loss of income and are unable to make their rent payments due to COVID-19 related financial impacts.
• The applicant must have experienced an involuntary Covid-19 related financial impact; such as: having a reduction in income due to being laid off, reduced hours, termination, or furloughed due to COVID-19, or have experienced employment termination due to their children distance learning.
• Fair Market Rent (FMR)- The rent amount must be within the FMRs and shall not exceed 120% of FMR per the number of bedrooms in the unit. Following is the FMR chart:

• Bedroom Size	0	1	2	3	4	5	6
  FMR	$955	$1,106	$1,390	$1,917	$2,369	$2,724	$3,080
  120% of FMR	$1,146	$1,327	$1,668	$2,300	$2,843	$3,269	$3,696

6.) What eligibility documentation do I need to provide?

• A form of identification
• A copy of the lease agreement
• A documented loss of income due to COVID-19
• Proof of Income for ALL household members dated within 60 days
• Notice of rent arrears, or demand letter, or invoice from landlord

7.) What is a lease agreement?

A lease is a formal written contract between the landlord and tenant.

8.) What form of identification is acceptable?

Any government issued identification, including a driver’s license, passport, permanent resident card, etc.

9.) How do I document a loss of income due to COVID?

Documentation can include:

(a) A letter from an employer or other source of income citing COVID-19 as a reason for reduced work hours, termination, furlough, or other substantial reduction in pay.

(b) Employer payroll checks or payroll stubs showing a reduction in pay following the COVID-19 outbreak.

(c) Documentation showing payment of substantial out-of-pocket medical expenses caused by COVID-19.

(d) Documentation showing the closure of a school or childcare facility where a child in the tenant’s care would otherwise be present during the tenant’s normally working hours which, as a result, has caused the tenant to work reduced hours.

(e) Any other objectively verifiable documentation to demonstrate a substantial hardship or inability to make timely rent payments caused by COVID-19. 

10.) What is proof of income and what are the acceptable forms?

Proof of income is required to determine that the household meets the income eligibility requirement under the program guidelines. To be eligible, households must be low-income.

Low-income to extremely low-income is defined as individuals or families who earn 80% or below of the County area’s median income. Acceptable forms include:

• Paystubs
•  1099
• Employer Statement/Employment Verification (stating wages)
• Benefits statement from such sources as unemployment, cash aid, social security, or pension
• Profit and loss statement for self-employment

11.) How do I submit all eligibility documentation?

Upload your documentation upon completion of the online application. The application form will guide you in uploading all required documents.  If you complete the application but still have documents to submit, wait until a program representative contacts you.  You will then be able to submit the documents directly to the program representative.  Do not submit the documents by re-applying. If you re-apply, it will delay the processing of your application.

All of the documents must be in a PDF format.   Please only submit one pdf file per question.  If you have multiple documents for a particular response you need to combine them into a single document for that submission. 

If you wish to scan documents using an iPhone, please click on this link “How to scan documents with an iPhone”.  

12.) If I meet all the eligibility requirements does this guarantee that I will receive rental assistance?

No. If you meet all the general eligibility requirements, this guarantees that your application will be considered for funding. Funding is contingent on cooperation from your landlord and/or property management company representative.

13.) How much am I eligible to receive?

This program provides one-time support in rental assistance. Rental assistance is intended to cover 100% of the total passed due rent, not to exceed 6 consecutive months, up to $3,500 per household.

14.) What if I am currently behind on rent and I am also unable to pay next month’s rent? Will this program be able to cover future rent?

No. Funding for this program is limited to only cover past due rent i.e. unpaid balance. 

15.) Can I apply more than once?

• If you apply and receive rental assistance, you cannot reapply. This is a one-time support program.
• If you apply and are denied due to not meeting eligibility requirements at the point of submitting your application, but your circumstances change at a later point, you can reapply.

16.) Will this program cover my rent from before March 2020?

No.

17.) Does the landlord receive one payment or monthly payments?

The Landlord will receive one payment, equaling the total cost of your unpaid balance (up to $3,500).

18.) How long does this process take after submitting my application?

Applications will be processed on a rolling basis. If all documents are submitted and your landlord has cooperated, we expect processing to take no more than 2 weeks.

IMMIGRATION RELATED QUESTIONS

19.) Can I receive assistance if there is an undocumented member in my household?  Can I receive assistance if I am undocumented?  

Yes.  Assistance will be provided without regard to immigration status.  

20.) Will receiving housing assistance affect me if I am applying for a green card (lawful permanent residence)?  I heard there is a "public charge" rule, which makes it harder to get a green card if you use certain benefits.  

No.  One-time housing assistance is not considered in a public charge test. 

21.) Does public charge apply to everyone?

No. The public charge ground of inadmissibility does not apply to many people, including those applying for Temporary Protected Status, asylum, refugee status, U visas or T visas, Special Immigrant Juvenile status or other “humanitarian” immigrants.  Public charge does not apply when LPRs are seeking to become citizens. People who already have their green cards (LPR status) are not subject to a public charge inadmissibility test unless they leave the country for more than 180 days and seek to reenter.

If you have questions about your own situation, you should consult an immigration attorney. 

Public Charge Fact sheet, English: https://protectingimmigrantfamilies.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Public-Charge-Does-This-Apply-To-Me-February-2020-ENGLISH.pdf