LA’s COVID-19 Response Should Prioritize Long-Term Rent-Stabilized Tenants for Housing Assistance
Brief
Shane Phillips
May 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown hundreds of thousands of Angeleno households into financial turmoil. In this brief, Shane Phillips argues that Los Angeles should prioritize support for long-term residents of rent-stabilized housing, for three reasons:
Long-term rent-stabilized tenants, among the poorest households in the city, are at greater risk of losing their homes.
Because many are poor and at risk, households who are displaced may place a substantial burden on social services at a time when we can least afford these costs.
Monthly rents for long-term tenants are typically low, so it’s relatively inexpensive to provide assistance.
