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Council discusses winding down local rental assistance as Measure A county programs come online
Summary
Staff told the council the city's rental assistance program has ~$1.7 million allocated and is being spent at roughly $50–60k per month; staff recommended pausing new applications and transitioning eligible residents to Measure A/COG programs while considering a limited local bridge using successor housing funds.
City staff told the Claremont City Council that the local rental assistance program established with ARPA and supplemented by general fund dollars totals about $1.7 million and is being disbursed at roughly $50,000–$60,000 per month.
"We expect that funding to run out in June 2026, unless the council directs us to do something else with the funding," City Manager Perry said, outlining options for the council.
Staff recommended, pending council direction, that the city stop accepting new applications for the Claremont Temporary Housing Stabilization/relocation grant and refer new applicants to county and San Gabriel Valley (COG) programs now funded by Measure A. Katie Wan, in the city manager's office, told council that county programs are likely to provide shorter, emergency‑style assistance (for example up to six months) and have eligibility differences that mean not all Claremont participants would automatically qualify.
To avoid leaving anyone without support during the transition, staff proposed using the city's successor housing fund for a temporary extension of the local program. Perry estimated a bridge through December 2026 would cost about $360,000 at current spending rates. The city attorney reminded the council that vice mayor Reese previously received FPPC advice about participating in tenant‑protection discussions when carve‑outs for certain landlords are proposed and may need to recuse from such discussions.
Council feedback: Members broadly favored pursuing transitions to regional programs to avoid duplicative spending but asked staff to return with detailed counts of current participants who would or would not qualify for county/COG programs, and to propose a plan for assisting participants to apply (including technical assistance and coordination with La Casa/COG). Council asked staff to return with a report in April to evaluate progress and whether limited successor fund support is needed to cover people who do not qualify for county programs.
Next steps: staff will coordinate with COG and La Casa on outreach and technical assistance for participants and return in April with data on projected transitions and recommended bridge funding if necessary.
