Moving is stressful. It takes time, effort, and money.
“Imagine finding a place and needing that $3,000 deposit, and you know that you can do the month-to-month, but you don’t have that initial $3,000 because you’re living paycheck to paycheck,” Santa Maria’s community programs manager, Rosie Rojo, told the Sun. “By the time you’re able to save that $3,000—who knows how long it’s going to take you—and then that place is gone.”
Santa Maria can remove that burden for many locals. The city has been offering tenant based rental assistance since 2010, and in August, the Community Programs Division altered the guidelines to encourage more people to apply. The maximum amount of aid is $3,000, up from $2,500, and residents can reapply every five years instead of every decade.
Renters don’t have to pay the city back. Theoretically, they’ll receive the money from their landlord when they move out. Rojo said she hopes people recycle the funds to use for their next deposit.
“If the rents are going up, that means the deposits are going up, and we definitely don’t want to see people miss out on opportunities to move into a place because they don’t have enough for the deposit,” Rojo said.
Made possible by grant money from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the program requires that the applicant’s household earns at maximum 60 percent of the local median income. In Santa Maria, that’s around $76,000 for an individual or $109,000 for a family of four.
“The reality is, most people do qualify,” Rojo said.
Additionally, the rental property must be in Santa Maria, Orcutt, or Tanglewood, and applicants must not have benefitted from the program in the past five years.
Previously it was a 10-year window before individuals could receive funds again. Rojo said it was a sufficient time frame during the pandemic, when people weren’t moving, but now they’re looking for new homes more frequently.
“We’re just trying to stay on top of the trends and also on top of the need. And again, because we have the funding source to do it, we’re able to make it less restrictive so that people are able to access the funding and be able to get into another place sooner rather than later,” Rojo said.
Applicants who are already served by the city’s partner agencies should apply through their caseworkers. It’s the most efficient method, Rojo explained. Referring organizations are the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara, People’s Self-Help Housing, Partners in Housing Solutions, and Domestic Violence Solutions. Those who don’t have connections with a partner organization may apply through Northern Santa Barbara County United Way.
“For example, let’s say somebody’s living at the shelter, and they found a place and need the rental deposit. The shelter already has all of their information, so it would be a duplication of effort for them now to come to us,” Rojo said.
Renters must provide three months of pay stubs and the rental agreement. Immigration status is not part of the application, Rojo added.
After a property inspection, the city will send the deposit directly to the landlord.
“It really does keep people in a home. It keeps people from having to find alternatives that may not be the best environment for them,” Rojo said. “It’s a great program and one that we’ve had for 15 years and one that we’re really proud of. We’re so thankful that we still have the funding to be able to offer it.”
Individuals interested in learning more about the program can call the Community Programs Division at (805) 925-0951, Ext. 2118, for bilingual services or visit cityofsantamaria.org/communityprograms.
This article appears in September 3 – September 10, 2026.
