Rent-burdened seniors and people with disabilities in Los Angeles have a few more days to apply for a maximum of $19,000 in Measure ULA-funded emergency funds.
The L.A. City Emergency Income Support Program, which closes April 30, is directed to low-income individuals who are at least 65-years-old or are disabled. Recipients must be able to demonstrate a household income at or below 50% of the median income and that they spend 30% or more of their income on rent.
“Whenever there’s an economic shock or rents rise, seniors tend to struggle to pay for basics like food and medicine,” said Joe Donlin, director of the United to House L.A. coalition, which oversees the program.
Measure ULA, also known as the “mansion tax,” is a controversial tax initiative passed in 2022 that imposes a 4%-5.5% tax on high-value real estate sales over $5 million to fund affordable housing and tenant assistance programs, such as this emergency assistance grant.
ULA opponents recently earned enough signatures on the statewide ballot initiative, the “Local Taxpayer Protection Act,” to overturn the tax measure on November’s election
Also see: LA City Council forms a committee to review Measure ULA amid housing debate
According to Los Angeles’ 2025 Point-in-Time Count, homelessness among seniors made up about 25% of Los Angeles County homelessness last year. Individuals experienced a range of nonexclusive disabilities, including substance use disorder at 45% and serious mental illness at 46%.
Donlin said with a focus on those demographics, this program “keeps vulnerable people in their homes.”
Those who participated in last year’s program, which distributed $9.8 million through one-time payments of $20,000 to 494 families, are not eligible.
Also see: Housing advocates call for reform of Measure ULA, the so-called ‘mansion tax’
Households of two earning up to $60,000 can receive $12,510. Those of three earning $68,150 and four-person households earning $75,750 can receive $15,606, and those of five earning $81,800 can receive the maximum of $19,000. Eligible recipients will get all funds at once on a debit card that can cover any personal expenses of their choosing.
The Los Angeles Housing Department has budgeted almost $16 million for this second round of the program, with more than $13.5 million going to approximately 1,005 households.
Measure ULA has generated $1 billion in tax revenue as of December 2025. While a majority of those funds are going to affordable housing developments, a smaller amount is going to eviction legal defense and homelessness prevention.
Donlin said this is one of 11 programs the organization oversees meant to keep people housed.
For more information and to apply, visit: programs-forwardplatform.org/ula-emergency-isp