The Connecticut legislature voted at the end of September to extend Governor Ned Lamont’s pandemic-related emergency powers through February 15, 2022. The governor’s emergency declarations, including the state’s eviction moratorium, were set to expire September 30, along with his emergency powers. The state’s eviction moratorium expired on June 30. At that time, Governor Lamont put in place off-ramp measures to ensure renters would receive emergency assistance before an eviction was filed. Executive Order 12D requires landlords to complete an application for Connecticut’s emergency rental assistance program, UniteCT, before starting an eviction case for nonpayment of rent and to give a 30-day notice to quit for most types of evictions. Because the legislature extended the emergency declarations, this requirement is now in place until February 15, 2022.
The legislature also extended the emergency declaration allowing Connecticut to qualify for FEMA reimbursement for non-congregate sheltering costs to support individuals who are unhoused. This is critical to ensure that no one is left in the cold this winter, and that we limit the spread of COVID 19 among people experiencing homelessness.
Partnership for Strong Communities, an NLIHC state partner organization, advocated for these necessary protections through its leadership of the Reaching Home and HOMEConnecticut campaigns. Reaching Home and HOMEConnecticut activated their networks to ensure critical declarations that keep renters housed and provide non-congregate shelter for unhoused individuals remain intact during the ongoing pandemic and economic crisis.
“With the eviction moratorium ending, it is critical that tenants, landlords and our judicial system remain as connected as possible to the available financial resources under UniteCT,” said Kiley Gosselin, executive director of the Partnership for Strong Communities. “The extension of the governor’s authority and the requirement that landlords seeking to evict eligible tenants must first apply to UniteCT will help reduce the number of tenants evicted for nonpayment of rent during the ongoing pandemic. Still, we expect that evictions will increase and the long-term effects of the pandemic on tenants who are evicted or who are forced to move due to economic circumstances will play out for years to come.”
For more information about the extension of Connecticut’s eviction protections, contact Kayleigh Pratt, senior policy analyst at Partnership for Strong Communities at [email protected].