SAN DIEGO — More than 650 San Diego households that were promised federal rental assistance through 2030 are being left scrambling, after the Emergency Housing Voucher program ran out of funding years ahead of schedule, inewsource reported Wednesday.

The program, which provides $1.4 million in monthly housing assistance across four local housing authorities including the San Diego Housing Commission, was designed to help families who escaped or avoided homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the original terms, participants were guaranteed assistance through 2030. That promise is now broken.

As of late February, housing authority officials told inewsource that fewer than 20% of affected households had an alternative affordable housing option lined up — meaning roughly 500 families face potential displacement starting this fall when funding runs dry.

The shortfall stems from rising rents and stagnating incomes, which caused vouchers to cover a larger share of rent than originally projected, depleting the program's fixed budget faster than expected. The crisis is compounded by the San Diego Housing Commission's ongoing budget pressures, which have already forced more than 30 layoffs at the agency.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development suggested housing authorities move participants to standard Section 8 housing choice vouchers, but that pathway has major obstacles. Section 8 waitlists in San Diego County have grown to 124,000 people — and the waitlist has been closed to new entrants since July 2022.

For East County residents already struggling with high rents, the program's collapse adds another layer of housing insecurity. San Diego County moved 50 Emergency Housing Voucher holders to the top of its Section 8 waitlist, but housing advocates warn that is a fraction of what is needed. Residents in need of assistance can call 211 for housing resources.