Luis Sanchez and Erenia Soza worked hard gathering aluminum cans and scrap metal, washing carpets, detailing cars and doing other people's laundry after they couldn't find wage-paying jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some months their income was enough, other times it wasn't. "We did anything we could for money," Sanchez, 40, told USA TODAY.

This summer, after the parents of five fell behind on rent by about $12,000 dollars, they faced eviction for the second time in less than five years. The family was able to stay put after getting help from the Mayor's Fund for Los Angeles, a charity directing a team of 40 caseworkers and 12 lawyers who help at-risk tenants apply for federal, state and local benefits and services meant for people in their situation.

The government benefits people receive go toward paying rent and attorneys representing them in eviction court.

Across Los Angeles County, more than 75,000 live unhoused, with the majority living outdoors, according to officials. Over the past 15 months, the Mayor's Fund for Los Angeles strategy has stopped more than 23,000 households from potentially adding to that number.

"It's been so long that we haven't been in a home for Christmas, with a Christmas tree," Soza, 42, said. "Now my kids can't wait, and we can invite family to come over and have dinner together."

Low-income in America:Poverty in the U.S. increased last year, even as incomes rose

The Mayor's Fund for Los Angeles began tackling eviction prevention in spring 2023, and one year later, it launched a hyper-focused approach, where the names of people about to get evicted are given to social workers who can then go and find them. The model, which includes a carefully tailored privacy agreement, is an inverse of what eviction prevention programs have historically looked like, where social workers help at-risk tenants who come to them.

Despite its name, the Mayor's Fund for Los Angeles is technically separate from Mayor Karen Bass' office and has a budget of $7.5 million, coming from philanthropic and private sector donations, the nonprofit said. The nonprofit was originally created by former Mayor Eric Garcetti in 2014. Back then, it was tasked with improving city services through private partnerships.

But now, the organization focuses on housing because there are thousands of dollars that help people at risk of eviction get back on their feet, but many are unaware of the solutions, Conway Collis, CEO of the Mayor's Fund for Los Angeles, told USA TODAY.

"They could be leaving thousands of dollars on the table," Collis said.

Those at risk were connected with the eviction-prevention program more quickly this summer, which is when the list of confidential names was given to the fund's social workers, Collis said.

"It's really a sea change, it's made a huge difference," Collis said.

California teachers:With rising rents, some school districts are trying to find teachers affordable housing

Evictions add to homeless population

The steady stream of evictions in cities like Los Angeles is like a dripping faucet, continually adding to the region's overall population of people living without housing, policy experts say. In 2023, landlords filed evictions against more than 47,000 households in Los Angeles County, according to data analyzed by the local nonprofit Strategic Actions for a Just Economy.

On an individual level, losing housing is an emergency situation that can cause someone's entire life to fall apart, like if their home was hit by a natural disaster, advocates say.

"What we're dealing with, this is like an earthquake is hitting Los Angeles every day," Collis said.

Homelessness is the main problem Bass says she's fighting in Los Angeles through temporary shelter programs at hotels. In a statement to USA TODAY, Bass said the Mayor's Fund is leading the city's efforts on homelessness prevention, a key step in the overall battle to reduce homelessness.

"What the Mayor's Fund is attempting to do has never been done before in the United States − it's pioneering a city-wide approach to actually prevent homelessness head on," Bass said.

Nuisance evictions:Your landlord can't kick you out for making too many 911 calls, Justice Department says

'Landlords aren't the enemy'

Besides helping tenants, the program also works with landlords who want to prevent their at-risk tenants from being evicted and potentially adding to the city's homeless crisis.

Jason Matsuki saw Sanchez and Soza struggle and connected them to the Mayor's Fund, hoping social workers would help them get their finances back on track.

"The minute you become a landlord, you have to really engage with your residents," said Matsuki, who works for the real estate company SoLa Impact, managing 3,000 units, including the complex where Sanchez and Soza live in a 3-bedroom apartment.

Matsuki said evictions in Los Angeles often happen because low-income families face insurmountable financial struggles − not because they're bad tenants.

That was the case for Sanchez and Soza, who misplaced their Green Cards after they were evicted at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. With nowhere to go, they put some of their most valuable belongings in storage. But after they couldn't pay, the facility threw all their stuff away, Sanchez said. Without their residency documents, they couldn't find work. In 2023, they were the victims of identity theft, Sanchez said, and couldn't get their child tax credits.

"If it's merely financial, we have all the tools in our toolbox to pull ledgers, to identify trends from when we see somebody is struggling," Matsuki said.

Over the summer, 21 out of 26 at-risk households at Matsuki's properties avoided eviction using funds and resources from the Mayor's Fund for Los Angeles, he said.

"Landlords aren't the enemy in most cases," Collis said. "Landlords, in some ways, are bearing the financial brunt of this housing situation."

More rent relief, legal aid is needed, advocates say

Since May, 4,366 tenants whose names and apartment numbers were on the confidential list have been connected to lawyers who can represent them in court eviction proceedings, according to the Mayor's Fund. Since the fund started focusing on eviction prevention in 2023, about 20% of its funding has gone toward legal aid, Collis said.

In eviction court, renters hardly ever have legal representation, while property owners almost always do, creating a negotiations process that heavily favors landlords, according to Collis.

On the other hand, some landlords in Los Angeles say money from the Mayor's Fund should only be used to get tenants rent relief, not to fight legal battles that can cost landlords more money, said Dan Yukelson, executive director of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles.

As housing prices have skyrocketed and property regulations in California have grown more strict, Yukelson said, he's seen more owners leave for Texas and Florida where it's easier to earn money on real estate investments.

The high costs and business risks associated with providing rental units in Los Angeles is contributing to the city's affordable housing shortage, Yukelson said, and it's important that anyone at-risk of eviction stays housed by catching up on rent.

"People who are providing the housing need to be able to afford to stay in the business," Yukelson said. "The last thing anyone wants to do is put a family out on the street. That's not why we invest in these properties. Tenants are our customers."

Targeting at-risk households

The program works for some of Los Angeles' most vulnerable renters, including those who live in predominantly low-income areas, according to Collis.

Those who earn above 30% to 50% of the area median income, about $40,000 for a household of one, do not qualify.

This summer, social workers saw calls to their hotline double, after households got mailers addressed to them. Of the at-risk households that worked with the Mayor's Fund for Los Angeles, 38% were families with children, according to the fund.

At her family's three-bedroom apartment, Soza said she has a garden and has become close friends with her next-door neighbor, a cancer survivor. There's hot food most nights, and "it's home," Soza said.

"Once we start thinking about the other places we've been staying at, it doesn't feel as comfortable as here," Sanchez said. "And we're also grateful for the people who helped us get into a place like this."