Thread by @HealthyLA_Coa

Covid cases are ravaging LA. We are at the most deadly point of the pandemic and it will only get worse after these holidays. #CancelRent & #CancelMortgages with targeted landlord relief is the only solution that will truly help people in need of economic stability. A Thread 1/

Rental assistance is not enough. Most low-income tenants can’t work from home. To stay safe, they need to know they can stay home without falling deeply in debt to their landlord. All eligible tenants need relief - not just those lucky enough to be chosen for rental assistance 2/

Estimates show that over 600,000 tenants in the LA area are behind on rent and could owe hundreds of millions of dollars come January 2021. Rent debt will continue accumulating as people remain out of work. 3/
stout.com/en/services/tr…

Rental assistance will not reach every tenant who is behind on rent. 1000s of tenants will not receive relief and will continue to be at risk of eviction and prolonged economic hardship. Rent forgiveness, or #CancelRent, is the only scaled solution to addressing this problem. 4/

Rental assistance also puts the burden on tenants to apply. The proof required was difficult to obtain, especially for informal and undocumented workers. Both the County and City originally required landlords to opt in. 5/

Many landlords opted out because it meant stronger tenant protections, and in the end they could make money from evicting people. Relief for tenants shouldn’t be conditioned on landlord acceptance. 6/
knock-la.com/landlord-rejec…

Many tenants in LA pay their rent to private equity firms & investors who are making millions despite the economic crisis. They do not need taxpayer dollars to survive. Electeds need to stop sending taxpayer money to line pockets of corporations. 7/
jacobinmag.com/2020/12/blacks…

Canceling the rent removes the unfair burden tenants are carrying of putting their lives at risk just to pay rent, and encourages people to stay home, giving us a real chance to flatten the curve. 8/

https://twitter.com/lapublichealth/status/1345835714198573058

Low-income tenants, disproportionately Black and Latinx people, who haven't paid rent are in deep economic crisis and will likely never be able to pay it back, putting the poorest tenants at risk of prolonged economic instability and risk of homelessness. 9/

This harms small LLs & NP affordable housing providers who need rental income to avoid foreclosure. In 2008, corporations bought up foreclosed properties in communities of color. Relief to small LLs and NP affordable housing providers is integral so history doesn’t repeat. 10/

Relief should go to landlords who are really in need & not just looking for profit. Federal funds must be used for a targeted landlord relief fund that landlords apply to and is meant for those at risk of losing their properties. 11/

Also, Black and Latinx landlords are struggling to pay their mortgages more than white landlords. #CancelRent and targeted landlord relief is an economic, racial, and housing justice issue. It also builds towards a #JustRecovery. See below for how to take action! 12/

There’s a @LACountyBOS meeting on Tues, Jan 5 @ 9:30 am. Use the toolkit to take action and tell your electeds:

1. Cancel Rent!
2. Support small landlords & NP AH providers in need!
3. Stop using taxpayer money to line the pockets of corporations!

bit.ly/LACountyTakeAc…