Over $1 billion in utility payments and rent disbursed to California residents

San Francisco, California – According to state officials, California residents have received more than $1 billion in pandemic-related rent and utility payment assistance.

More than $526 million in financial assistance has already been delivered to almost 45,000 people across the state who have experienced financial losses as a result of the pandemic, with the remaining $474 million authorized for payment and waiting to be disbursed.

In total, the state has received more than 243,000 applications for rent and utility payment assistance, with requests totaling more than $2.2 billion.

State legislators approved allocating more than $7 billion for rent and utility relief payments in July, offering to pay up to 100 percent of outstanding rent payments that state residents owe because of the pandemic.
The state made roughly $5.2 billion available for rent relief and $2 billion available for residents with outstanding water and utility bills.

Both landlords and renters can apply directly to the state’s rent relief program, which considers applicants regardless of their immigration status.