Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/431369
The People's Guide 2015 60 • If you're 16 or 17 and still in care - you may qualify for the Transitional Housing Placement Program (THPP).. You must be either going to high school,working towards your GED, or attending vocational/technical training. To apply, contact your Children's Social Worker (CSW) or Youth Development Ser- vices (YDS) Transition Resource Coordinator (TRC) who will assist you completing the application. For information call: Transitional Housing Placement Program (213) 351-0120. • If you are in the foster care system and turn 18, you have the option to continue in care until you turn 21 years old. You can get this help if you have been placed by the court somewhere outside your parents' home and you are there on your 18th birthday. If you chose this option, you may stay in your current home, live in a supportive transitional housing program, or move out on your own if your social worker or probation officer believe you are ready. • If you are a former foster youth between the ages of 18 and 21 and your case closed after your 18th birthday, you may be eligible to exit and re-enter foster care as many times as you need to before you turn 21 years old- call the Alliance for Children's Rights at (213) 368-6010 for more information. • If you are no longer in foster care or probation, but you lived in a foster home, group home or with a relative sometime between your 16th and 19th birthday), you may be able to get help from the Transitional Housing Program (THP). They can put you in housing for up to three years. For more information please go to: http://ilponline.org/ housing/THP.html, or call 213-351-0123 or 213-351-0100. • If you aged out of foster care or probation systems after your 18th birthday, you might be able to get help from the Transitional Housing Program Plus (THP+). You have to be between the ages of 18 and 24 and either going to school or working. You can get this help for up to two years. For more information go to http://ilponline.org/hous- ing/THPPlus.html or call 213-351-0239. Other resources for information if you are 18 and leaving foster care: • The Alliance for Children's Rights and Children's Law Center "Know Before You Go" mobile app that shows housing provid- ers, food, legal services, education, and employment. Search the app store on your phone for "Know Before You Go". • Public Counsel "My Life My Rights"' website: http://www.mylifemyrights.org What are My Rights as a Renter? 1. Groups That Can Help There are many groups in Los Angeles that deal with landlord/tenant issues. Here are a few that may be able to provide free help or advice: Bet Tzedek (323) 939-0506 Coalition for Economic Survival (213) 252-4411 Inner City Law Center (213) 891-2880 Inquilinos Unidos (213) 483-7497 Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (800) 399-4529 L.A. Community Action Network (213) 228-0024 Neighborhood Legal Services of L.A. County (818) 896-5211 Public Counsel (213) 385-2977 Union de Vecinos (323) 908-3454 The California Department of Consumer Affairs also provides booklets and informa- tion regarding landlord/tenant law. For more information contact: (800) 952-5210 or visit www.dca.ca.gov/publications/landlordbook/ index.shtml. 2. Bad Conditions You have the right to live in a place without bad conditions. • No holes in the wall • Working toilets, and sinks • Electricity should work • Heat should work • No rats, roaches, or other pests If your unit has problems, you should tell your landlord about them and request that they be fixed. You should make your request in writing and keep a copy of your written request for yourself. If your landlord does not fix the problems, there are a few things you can do. Government Agencies County Health Department (323) 881-4015 For problems like vermin, rats, roaches, bedbugs; peeling paint or lack of screens. Housing Department (866) 557-RENT Department of Building and Safety (888) LA4-BUILD For complaints regarding plumbing and electrical; lack of water or heat; illegal utility shutoff, in Los Angeles. For other cities, check the phone book. If you think the conditions pose an imminent threat to your health or safety, you can ask the housing inspector to refer your case to the Urgent Repair Program. Los Angeles County Department of Consumer Affairs (888) 700-9995. For questions re- garding withholding rent, repair and deduct, and abandonment remedies, call. Getting Your Landlord to Fix the Problem If your landlord will not fix problems, you should give written notice of the problem, wait 30 days, and have proof of the problem. Then you have the right to repair the problem yourself and deduct the cost from your rent. It must be a problem affecting your health or safety, not just something you want to change in the apartment. If you withhold your rent, your landlord may try to evict you. It is very important that you keep copies of everything relating to the problem. You should get legal advice or support before withholding any rent. If you do not want to withhold rent, you can also go to Small Claims Court to try to get the money back. If your landlord has been cited by the De- partment of Building and Safety, Housing Department, or Health Department, and repairs have not been made within 60 days, you can go to Small Claims Court on your own without an attorney. The small claims judge can order the landlord to make the repairs. Ask the judge about Civil Code Sec- tion 942.4 in cases like this. Housing