Beginning April 19, Sonoma County residents can apply for rental assistance on SoCoEmergency.org or by calling 2-1-1 to reach English- and Spanish-speaking operators. Applicants can also find a community based organization to assist them by visiting socoemergency.org/emergency/novel-coronavirus/finance-housing/housing-and-renter-support/

Sonoma County residents who accumulated rent debt due to economic hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic will soon be able to apply for aid, and down the road legal assistance, to stave off evictions.

Sonoma County government officials are set to begin distributing more than $32 million in federal and state dollars within two weeks. The county’s Community Development Commission will open the program April 19 and process applications until the funds are exhausted, Tina Rivera, the commission’s assistant director, told the the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.