New Oakland program designed to keep people housed

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- The city of Oakland has teamed with Kaiser Permanente and the San Francisco Foundation to stem the tide of residents descending into homelessness.

"It's a partnership that's going to help us fight displacement," said Mayor Libby Schaaf. "No one deserves to spend a single night on the streets."

"Keep Oakland Housed" has $9 million in funding from Kaiser Permanente and the San Francisco Foundation to help Oakand residents experiencing a housing crisis. To be eligible, the household income must be at 50 percent or less of the median for the area, which is $104,400. An individual must make less than $40,700, a family of four would have to earn less than $58,100.

Examples of a "housing crisis" could be as simple as a tenant not having money to pay their rent or as complicated as an owner wanting to remove the unit from the market through the Ellis Act.

Besides up to $7,000 in financial support for most cases, each client would also receive legal assistance, depending on their need or circumstance.

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The money would be paid directly to landlords or third party providers.

People requesting assistance can call 211 to be put in touch with the various agencies administering the program. Those agencies include the East Bay Community Law Center, Bay Area Community Services and Catholic Charities of the East Bay.

Laura Anthony will have the latest on this program starting at 4 p.m. on ABC7 News. Go here to follow her updates on Twitter.

Get the latest stories and videos about homelessness here in the Bay Area and around the country here.