Santa Monica's City Council on Tuesday signed off on a $6 million renter-aid program that city officials say is designed to keep vulnerable residents housed. The money will go toward short-term financial help and housing navigation to head off evictions and homelessness. City officials say the program will be run by a local nonprofit partner and is expected to roll out this summer.
As reported by MyNewsLA, the Council approved the Santa Monica Renter Aid program as the first major allocation from Measure GS and tapped The People Concern as the implementation partner. The program, slated to launch this summer, will provide targeted financial assistance and housing-stabilization services, and the city estimates it will help roughly 150 households a year. Households earning at or below 120% of the Los Angeles County area median income (about $126,000 for a one-person household and $180,000 for a four-person household) will be eligible. Officials say applications will be offered online, in multiple languages, on paper and during in-person office hours at Virginia Avenue Park.
"Santa Monica renters are the backbone of our community, and this program is about making sure they can stay here," Mayor Caroline Torosis said, according to MyNewsLA. She described the allocation as "homelessness prevention that is a smart investment for our city."
Where the money comes from
The funding comes from Measure GS, the voter-approved transfer-tax measure passed in November 2022 to support homelessness prevention, affordable housing and schools. As outlined by the City of Santa Monica, the Council previously adopted a Renter Protection Program in 2025 that set up a Flexible Financial Assistance (FFA) concept paired with an expanded Right to Counsel.
Program scale and administration
According to GovTribe, the City solicited agencies earlier this year for an FFA program with a not-to-exceed budget of $6 million over a five-year cycle and a scope that initially contemplated serving hundreds of households annually. The publicly posted procurement materials outline planning scenarios of up to 580 households per year and tiers of assistance that range from one-time emergency payments to ongoing monthly support and eviction-prevention awards. With the Council's approval, the first phase will focus the $6 million on a smaller group of households, about 150 a year, while the city tracks outcomes and participant feedback.
How to apply and next steps
Officials say more specifics, including eligibility verification requirements, application windows and partner contact information, will be released before the program launches. Residents who need help are being urged to keep an eye on the City of Santa Monica Housing and Human Services pages for application links and office-hour schedules. The People Concern and the Housing & Human Services Department will be responsible for reporting program outcomes back to the city.
