Sacramento Emergency Rental Assistance (SERA2) Program
APPLICATION PERIOD
Opens Tuesday May 11th, 2021
Go HERE to view the flyers for this program.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA), in partnership with the City and the County of Sacramento, through federal and state funding, is offering emergency rent and utilities assistance for renters living anywhere in Sacramento County who have experienced a reduction in household income or other financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eligible applicants can receive assistance for past rent and utilities owed from April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021 and may qualify to have a portion of their rent paid for April, May and June 2021. The total assistance amount available will depend on household need.
Applications will be placed in a computerized random order—NOT first-come-first-served.
Priority will be given to households that owe rental arrears.
PROGRAM UPDATE
Senate Bill 91 (SB 91) went into effect on January 29, 2021, and is designed to assist landlords and tenants throughout the state of California that have been financially impacted by COVID-19. Assembly Bill 832 (AB 832) was approved on June 28, 2021 and made key changes to SB 91.
Below is a comparison of some of the changes between SB 91 and AB 832. The SERA2 Program is working to quickly make programmatic changes to comply with AB 832.
Landlords that received 80% of the rent arrears owed to them for April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021 will receive payment for the remaining 20%.
Landlords that received 25% of the rent for April 2021 to June 2021 will receive payment to cover 100% of the rent owed for this period.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Applicants must currently rent their home anywhere in the County of Sacramento
To be eligible for assistance with rental and utility arrears for the period of April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021, you must have 2020 household gross annual income at or below the following low-income limits:
| 1 person | $48,350 |
| 2 person | $55,250 |
| 3 person | $62,150 |
| 4 person | $69,050 |
| 5 person | $74,600 |
| 6 person | $80,100 |
| 7 person | $85,650 |
| 8 person | $91,150 |
To be eligible for assistance with rent and utilities for April, May and June 2021, you must have 2021 household gross annual income at or below the following low-income limits:
| 1 person | $50,750 |
| 2 person | $58,000 |
| 3 person | $65,250 |
| 4 person | $72,500 |
| 5 person | $78,300 |
| 6 person | $84,100 |
| 7 person | $89,900 |
| 8 person | $95,700 |
Additionally, applicants must:
- have at least one household member that:
– is qualified for unemployment benefits, OR
– has experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or has experienced a financial hardship due to COVID-19
- Demonstrate housing instability or a risk of being unhoused
Households that previously applied for and/or received rental assistance through the SERA1 Program (in October 2020 to February 2021) are eligible to apply again.
Priority will be given to households that owe rental arrears.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS FOR TENANT APPLICATION
One form of identification for the person applying
Driver’s license
California ID
Passport
Birth certificate
Marriage License
Divorce Decree
All pages of your Lease or other proof that you are renting your home
Document received from landlord showing amount owed in arrears
This could be either a past due notice or a Statement of Rental Arrears
Current utility bills showing amounts owed
SMUD
PG&E
Water
Sewer
Trash
Internet
Documentation of all annual gross household income for 2020
2020 tax return
2020 W-2
2020 1099
Benefit letters from SSI, SSA,
Unemployment/EDD Insurance Award Notice
Other
Documentation of all current household income for past 2 months
Paystubs
Benefit letters from SSI, SSA,
Unemployment/EDD Insurance Award Notice
Other
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
TO APPLY
Please DO NOT submit duplicate applications, as they will not be accepted.
If you have applied in February or March 2021, please click the “check your status here” button below. All applications that have been submitted prior to March 19th, 2021 are currently under review.
Additional Renter, Financial, and Employment Resources
REPORTS
ANY QUESTIONS? Please contact us at: sera@shra.org or (916) 449-1266
This project is being supported in whole or in part, with federal funding (Assistance Listing Number 21.023) awarded to the City and County of Sacramento and the State of California by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.