Los Gatos coalition distributes $25,000 in rental assistance

The Los Gatos Anti-Racism Coalition has distributed roughly $25,000 through its rental assistance program since its launch last June.

Coalition president Jeff Suzuki said the funds came from donations from the public and members of the coalition. The group plans to raise $50,000 for the program this year, Suzuki said, since demand for rental assistance has grown along with public awareness of the program.

“In deploying our limited resources, we asked ourselves where we could do the most good,” Suzuki said in a release. “The adage ‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound cure’ remains as true as ever. When we see the situations that lead people to homelessness, it is often only a few hundred dollars that makes the difference between remaining housed and becoming homeless.”

Applicants in Los Gatos and throughout Santa Clara County who are facing eviction can apply for up to $500 for “rapid relief.” The group has distributed rental assistance to more than 50 families, according to the release.

The rental assistance program is part of the coalition’s broader efforts to advocate for affordable housing and combat homelessness, which the group attributes in large part to the high cost of living in the Bay Area.

The funds have supported renters from young adults to senior citizens, including people who are in need of funds due to unemployment, pay cuts, medical emergencies and rent increases.

“The LGARC have been very helpful during this time of great stress and helped to keep myself and my mother housed,” Shefali A., a renter who received assistance from the coalition, said in the release. “We have so much going on right now, and I do not know where we would be or what we would have done without the support of LGARC.”