. >> reporter: like millions of americans, jaylene bailey was devastated by covid, but not because she got sick >> we haven't just been living through the pandemic we've been living through the pandemic while wondering every night when we go to sleep if we're going have a roof over our heads the next night. >> reporter: bailey is a freelance screenwriter in an industry halted by the shutdown left without a gig, she fell behind on rent and says she's constantly worried about being kick out you've looked at the camping gear in your garage. >> yeah, we've checked it to make sure there is no rips and tears in it. >> reporter: in california, nearly a million renters are more than $4700 behind on rent. if we basically remove tenant protections before people are able to get back to work, we're just going to create the conditions for an eviction tsunami. >> reporter: to stop that from happening, state officials have announced an unprecedented $5 billion rescue package for renters that would pay off 100% of rent for tenants who can prove financial hardship from the pandemic and make less than 8