Bureaucracy can be a beast to work with and against—but relief may be coming to those seeking rental assistance.
Alameda County Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch has issued a preliminary injunction that will require the state’s department overseeing rent relief application to approve all pending requests for rental assistance. Additionally, according to the S.F. Chronicle, all apps that were denied within the last 30 days will also be re-approved until the judge holds a hearing on whether the state’s procedures for reviewing the claims violate renters’ rights to fair treatment and a clear explanation of its decisions.
Some 100,000 households will now be entitled to rental benefits.
California officials say the state has already granted applications for 342,000 households and paid an average of $11,800 in rental aid since the start of the assistance period. But the Chronicle notes that the state has also denied funds to nearly one-third of the applicants, often with with little explanation.
According to a lawsuit filed by renter advocates, the state’s notices of denial failed to spell out the reasons, cite any supporting documents or describe the appeal process. The suit said there had been a “dramatic increase” in denials this April.