Landlord-Advocate Partnership Prevents Homelessness of Angelenos with 81% Success Rate
In an innovative partnership, the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles’ We Are LA program has worked together with the real-estate company SoLa Impact to prevent the evictions of 21 tenants who were behind on their rent. SoLa agreed to forgive the overdue rent of tenants who worked with We Are LA to sign up for resources that could help them keep current going forward and who took a financial literacy course provided by one of the local FamilySource Centers.
“A key part of our mission is to prevent evictions whenever possible,” said Conway Collis, President and CEO of the Mayor’s Fund. “We want to lock arms with landlords as allies in our effort to prevent homelessness, and this partnership with SoLa demonstrates the enormous impact that can be made for people and communities when we work together.”
In total, 21 individuals and families successfully took advantage of the program – an 81% success rate. SoLa forgave more than $130,000 in overdue rent, averaging more than $6,000 per household.
“In light of the devastating impact of COVID, working to keep our residents housed is the right thing to do,” said Jason Matsuki, VP, Property Management at SoLa Impact. “Eviction should always be the tool of last resort, so we were pleased to partner with the Mayor’s Fund of Los Angeles to find innovative ways to create a win-win scenario for dozens of our residents.”
We Are LA caseworkers connected tenants to every resource available to help their finances stretch further, such as food assistance through CalFresh, medical assistance through MediCal, child care assistance through CalWORKS, and the valuable Earned Income and Child Tax Credits.
Erenia Soza, her partner Luis, and their children were forced to move several times during the COVID-19 pandemic after both parents were laid off. They were evicted and bounced from hotel to hotel until they finally received assistance getting an apartment in SoLa’s building. Luis is now employed full-time, and with the assistance they received from We Are LA, they were able to prove they can afford their rent going forward. SoLa then forgave their debt.
“I feel blessed we were able to stay in our home,” said Erenia Soza, a tenant who took part in the program. “We were afraid we would have to go back to moving and hotels, and this program was a lifeline that helped us stay in the apartment we love.”
The Mayor’s Fund and SoLa are continuing to work together to see if they can serve additional tenants. The Mayor’s Fund hopes other landlords will be interested in partnering to keep Angelenos housed.
The FamilySource Centers that participated in the event include The Children’s Collective, El Nido Family Centers – South LA, El Nido Family Centers – South LA/Haven, Jenesse Center, All Peoples Community Center, and the Watts Labor Action Committee.
More information about We Are LA is available at www.mayorsfundla.org. Anyone who fears they may risk eviction can also call the We Are LA hotline at 213-584-1808.
