Long Beach will try to keep people from falling into homelessness when they hit financial hardship, using a new source of county money.
Mayor Rex Richardson speaks at a press conference outside City Hall as Long Beach announces a new housing assistance program on Thursday, April 23, 2026.
This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, Long Beach residents at risk of losing their housing can now apply for short-term rental assistance to help them stabilize their finances and, hopefully, stay in their homes. The city says it’s rolling the program out quickly. Qualified renters could start receiving funds as early as the second week of May.
Long Beach’s program, called Long Beach Renter Aid, got $2.7 million in Measure A dollars. Officials estimated that’s enough to help between 175 and 250 households with up to 6 months of rental assistance or up to $9,000 per household, whichever is less. Sign up for Building Your Block, a seven-issue newsletter course from LAist that explains the obstacles around housing development in L.A. and what you can do to make things better.
Measure to overturn LA’s ‘mansion tax’ heads to ballot. Here’s what voters should know for November California has cleared an initiative aiming to cancel Measure ULA and similar taxes across the state. But it might not be November’s only “mansion tax” measure. LA homeless agency has ‘significant’ problem with inaccurate financial statements, auditors find The issues surround poor bookkeeping and accounting of taxpayer money at the agency — which spent over $800 million in public funds last fiscal year.
To qualify, renters must be making 50% or less of the area’s annual median income. That amounts to $53,000 or lower for a household of one and increases for each household member — for instance, $75,750 for four, $100,000 for eight. The application window closes on May 8. The financial assistance should start going out that same day, said Deputy City Manager Teresa Chandler.
There will be a new application window each month starting in June. The city plans to accept new applicants between the 5th and 12th of each month until funds are exhausted. The program will prioritize applicants who are 55 and older, at imminent risk of eviction or are impacted by the loss of federal benefits, policy changes or immigration enforcement actions. Another program funded by Measure A is also paying for legal aid to help renters stave off wrongful evictions.
Two more planned to launch soon are aimed at preventing homelessness for Long Beach residents aged 55 and older and residents aged 18-25. Details will be announced in the coming months.
It will also be a huge help for families who have suffered financial hardship as a result of aggressive immigration enforcement tactics that began last May, said Susannah Sngiem, executive director of the nonprofit United Cambodian Community. You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community.
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