Pandemic aid officials are acknowledging they have made a major mistake with some of the vulnerable renter aid they have been providing since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. Reports indicate that some vulnerable renters have been overpaid as part of the financial aid packages, leading to officials asking the individuals to pay the difference back.
The problem was first exposed by the Los Angeles Times, which reported that federal pandemic relief aid through the CARES Act had been sent to more than 10,000 California renters whose landlords had already paid their rent for the month. The issue appears to stem from the pandemic assistance program being administered by the state government, which attempted to send out the financial assistance to the most vulnerable tenants across California.
This led to vulnerable renters in Los Angeles and elsewhere being sent two payments for the same month. One payment was from the tenant’s landlords, which was used to cover their rent. The other payment was from the state government, which was sent to tenants to help cover their monthly expenses.
Now, the state government is asking those who have received too much aid money to pay a portion of it back. Although the exact amount of money that needs to be returned has not been made public, some of the renters have been asked to pay back nearly $4,000.
A spokesman for the state government department responsible for overseeing the pandemic assistance said the issue “was a result of human error” and that it was put in place to “ensure vulnerable Californians were not without immediate assistance.” However, the spokesman acknowledged that the mistake should not have happened in the first place.
Now, pandemic aid officials are hoping that by being open and honest about the issue, they can hopefully get the message out to those who have been overpaid and figure out an arrangement to return the funds. Despite the error, officials say the program has helped many vulnerable Californians by covering their rent during a particularly difficult time.