In partnership with Alameda County Housing and Community Development, Centro Legal de la Raza has assisted with administering over $50 Million in aid to Alameda County residents in COVID-19 related hardships.

“One of Centro Legal’s most important contributions to this process has been embedding an equity lens throughout the application process, from beginning to end, and ensuring those most in need receive assistance. Our goal is to continue to bridge rental assistance and legal services to strengthen housing stability and reduce unnecessary displacement,” says Angel Ibarra, Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) Policy & Compliance Manager at Centro Legal de la Raza.

Michelle Starratt, Director of the Alameda County Housing and Community Development Department added, “We have put funds directly into the housing economy with great speed and deliberate collaboration with community partners. We’ve identified those most in need and prioritized helping them. Today marks an important milestone, but we have a tremendous amount of work still to do, including pursuing additional funding requests pending with the federal government to continue to help meet community need.”

Fast Facts on ERAP Funds (as of 2/14):

  • $53.8 has been paid out directly to landlords and utility service providers. 
  • 4,500+ households have had their applications approved, supporting their housing stability. 
  • 60% of aid has gone to women-headed households.
  • 75% of support has gone to extremely low income applicants earning 0-30% of the area median income (AMI). 
  • An additional 19% of aid has been distributed to those who are considered very low income (earning 30-50% AMI). In total 95% of applicants earn less than 50% AMI and 100% of aid has gone to applicants earning less than 80% of AMI. 

Read the full Press Release from Alameda County. 

Alameda County Housing Secure (ACHS) Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) led by Alameda County Housing and Community Development, and Centro Legal de la Raza, ACHS ERAP is assisting those financially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

ACHS started as a legal services collaborative established by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors in 2018 as an eviction defense program partnering to prevent the displacement of our most vulnerable community members. The ACHS legal services anti-displacement collaborative is comprised of Centro Legal de la Raza, Eviction Defense Center (EDC), East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC), Bay Area Legal Aid (Bay Legal), Housing and Economic Rights Advocates (HERA), and Just Cities.