San Gabriel Valley Landlord Incentives Program

A Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) is a community-based plan focused on identifying and addressing local wildfire hazards and risks. CWPPs are authorized and defined in Title I of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA), passed by Congress in 2003. https://www.congress.gov/bill/108th-congress/house-bill/1904/text A CWPP determines what is at risk and provides a roadmap of actions for a community to address the wildfire threat. A CWPP includes, at a minimum, three central components: • Collaboration – A CWPP must be collaboratively developed. Local and state officials must meaningfully involve nongovernmental stakeholders and federal agencies that manage land in the vicinity of the community. • Prioritized Fuel Reduction – A CWPP must identify and prioritize areas for hazardous fuel- reduction treatments and recommend the types and methods of treatment that, if completed, would reduce the risk to the community. • Treatment of Structural Ignitability – A CWPP must recommend measures that homeowners and communities can take to reduce the ignitability of structures throughout the plan area.

A CWPP is a community-level planning document, not a regulatory document or ordinance. Further, a CWPP is not a land use, growth management, or emergency evacuation plan.

San Gabriel Valley stakeholders are collaboratively developing a Regional CWPP to realize the following overarching goals: (JH Note: The goals listed below are examples from other projects, once there are project specific goals & objectives, they should be inserted here) • Enhance safety and preparedness for responders and the public • Create healthy and productive fire adapted communities • Restore and maintain healthy and fire resilient landscapes

The U.S. Forest Service defines a fire adapted community as “[a] knowledgeable and engaged community in which the awareness and actions of residents regarding infrastructure, buildings, landscaping, and the surrounding ecosystem lessens the need for extensive protection actions and enables the community to safely accept fire as a part of the surrounding landscape.”

According to the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, the wildland urban interface (WUI) is “the zone of transition between unoccupied land and human development. It is the line, area, or zone where structures and other human development meet or intermingle with undeveloped wildland or vegetative fuels. Communities adjacent to and surrounded by wildland are at varying degrees of risk from wildfires.”

There are numerous ways to collaborate on the CWPP development process. You may: • Attend community workshops • Sign up for updates • Provide comments on the SGVCOG CWPP website • Contact the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments • Sign up to become a Firewise Community • Learn about Fire Prep SGV

• To educate communities across the San Gabriel Valley about their current wildfire risk and steps to reduce risk • To build community capacity to prepare for, respond to, and recover from major wildfire events • To foster a culture of wildfire resiliency in our region • To enhance coordination and collaboration efforts to achieve collective regional planning goals and to build partnerships between various stakeholder groups in our region • To use regional planning and analysis to support local wildfire risk mitigation and prevention efforts • To inform future policies and ordinances • To identify and apply for grants and other funding sources to implement wildfire risk mitigation projects at community and regional scales

The Draft Regional CWPP will be developed using up-to-date modeling and mapping of current wildfire risk as well as community input from all the jurisdictions in the region. Community input will be gathered through stakeholder and general public workshops, as well as comments received by the SGVCOG. • The Draft Regional CWPP will then be reviewed by stakeholders and the public and agreed to by member agencies. • The Final Regional CWPP will then be used to mitigate wildfire risk and improve safety across the region through community projects, policies, and funding programs.

The Regional CWPP is intended to be a “living” document. It is standard practice to revise and update the CWPP approximately every 10 years.

Not directly. The CWPP will assess wildfire hazards and risk, and better prepare communities and homeowners for potential wildfire events. Please contact your insurance provider for information about your rates. Upcoming new regulations from the California Department of Insurance will be discussed during the CWPP process, and projects and program will be developed to address the insurance issue in California.

The SGVLIP provides benefits and support to landlords who lease their units to tenants receiving rental assistance to leave homelessness. In addition to financial benefits, landlords receive a point of contact who can mediate any issues or provide the funds to fix them. This program is managed by Union Station Homeless Services in partnership with the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments.

On top of the extra financial benefits you’ll receive directly from the program, you’ll join landlords around the County in receiving a guaranteed, recession-proof rent check and a tenant likely to stay long-term. You’ll avoid the hassle of marketing your units but keep your choice of who to rent to. You’ll be helping people who have experienced homelessness to rebuild their lives. All tenants will have a case manager providing supportive services and helping them succeed as a tenant. Additionally, there are funds available through March 30, 2022 to mitigate damage or an unexpected vacancy. Beyond that date you will be linked to services that will continue to provide case management support.

Any landlord with a unit in the following San Gabriel Valley cities: Alhambra, Arcadia, Azusa, Baldwin Park, Claremont, Covina, Diamond Bar, Duarte, El Monte, Glendora, Irwindale, La Verne, Monrovia, Montebello, Monterey Park, Rosemead, San Dimas, San Gabriel, Sierra Madre, South El Monte, or West Covina. If you don’t have a unit in one of these cities but are interested, you may still be eligible. Please fill out the interest form for confirmation.

Once a landlord determines they would like to participate, a staff member will promptly tour the unit. We will need to ensure that the unit is in a safe and habitable condition. In addition, an analysis of the requested rent is made to ensure that it is in alignment with the area market rent. After these determinations are made, we are ready to promote your unit the following Monday. All available units are then emailed each Monday to all of the area service providers. Your unit will continue to be emailed out each subsequent Monday to providers and promoted until such time that it is leased.

Besides financial incentives and guaranteed rent, landlords receive the support of staff assigned to each tenant. These support staff will help mitigate issues that may arise with tenants and help explain lease terms to tenants. Case managers consist of an array of caring individuals with expertise regarding lease incentives and housing. They provide individualized support for each tenant depending on the tenant’s specific needs which may include assisting with signing the lease, making sure the tenant’s portion of monthly rent is timely, transportation, and more. Tenants are visited by their support staff a minimum of once a month. They understand the needs of both the tenants housed and our local landlords. The Landlord Incentives support line is available if additional assistance is needed.

Union Station Homeless Services will issue a check for the incentives requested within 3 days promptly upon receipt of a complete application and any supporting documentation required. You will receive a steady, reliable rent check each month, either from a non-profit who is paid by the County, or from the County itself. A small portion of the rent may also be paid directly by the tenant, based on what they can afford.

Should you encounter an issue, you may always contact the tenant’s case manager directly or you may call the SGVLIP support line at (909) 660-3502 or by emailing landlordincentives@unionstationhs.org

Creating successful tenancies begins with supporting landlords and tenants through some of the tough spots. Should an issue rise to a level that a landlord or tenant feels uneasy about or where possible legal steps are necessary, every effort is made to provide conflict resolution with the help of trained support staff. If an eviction appears unavoidable, the support staff can help the tenant to voluntarily relinquish the unit. Because they know they will continue to be supported, many tenants choose to do so rather than face legal proceedings.

All tenants will have a dedicated support staff member who will help them with everything they need to succeed as a tenant. They will check in as often as needed (but no less than once a month), helping them be a good tenant and neighbor, ensuring they continue to receive any benefits they are entitled to, and connecting them to outside services such as medical care or counseling. Our team’s top priority is to ensure the tenancy is mutually successful for both the tenant and the landlord.

The projected end date for this program is July 2022. In the unlikely event funds become exhausted sooner, all participants will be advised accordingly ahead of time. Beginning in March 2022, participating landlords and tenants will be transitioned to a partner program with similar benefits. While the damage mitigation originally offered will terminate at that time, landlords and tenants will continue to receive case management services.

Fire Hazard Severity Zones (FHSZ) are geographic areas designated by CAL FIRE pursuant to the California Public Resources Code and are classified as Very High, High, or Moderate. As of July 2023, FHSZ maps are currently being updated by CAL FIRE. To determine if you are in a State mapped FHSZ, see: https://egis.fire.ca.gov/FHSZ/. For more information on Fire Hazard Severity Zones see: https://osfm.fire.ca.gov/divisions/community-wildfire-preparedness-and-mitigation/wildfire-preparedness/fire-hazard-severity-zones/