National Updates
Biden Administration
The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) hosted a virtual conversation on August 17 on housing and evictions with Biden administration officials. The officials emphasized the urgent public health, safety, and economic case for a whole-of-government approach to prevent evictions and discussed the importance of federal, state, and local leaders working together to address this challenge.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
The CFPB hosted a demonstration on July 28 of its new Rental Assistance Finder Tool, which compiles information from both NLIHC and the Treasury Department to connect renters and landlords with local rental assistance resources. View the webinar here.
The CFPB released a new Spanish-language Rental Assistance Finder Tool to help Spanish-speakers find local rent relief programs.
Department of Justice
Attorney General Merrick Garland and Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta met on August 11 with more than 35 state supreme court chief justices to discuss the associate attorney general’s June 24 letter urging state courts to raise awareness of emergency rental assistance programs and to implement eviction diversion efforts in their jurisdictions.
U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH)
The USICH released on August 18 new CDC-informed Delta variant guidance that includes five ways communities can protect homeless populations from the rapidly spreading COVID variant.
In case you missed it: The USICH released a comprehensive step-by-step guide for people at risk of eviction.
Research and Advocacy
NLIHC and the National Housing Law Project (NHLP) sent a letter on August 10 to the secretaries of HUD, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Treasury, as well as the acting director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), urging them to implement the Biden administration’s July 29 directive calling for the agencies “to extend their respective eviction moratoria through the end of September” and “to do everything in their power so that owners and operators of federally assisted and financed rental housing seek Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA)…before moving toward eviction.” Read the letter here.
Check out the National Alliance to End Homelessness’ blog series on how federal COVID-9 relief can be used strategically to end homelessness:
- Using Federal Resources: The Time is Now – Making a Plan for Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHVs)
- EHVs and Beyond: Fostering and Maintaining Collaboration Between CoCs and PHAs
- Don’t Let Time Be the Enemy of Equity
Register for Enterprise’s webinar, “How to Harness the Legal System to Prevent Evictions,” which will take place on August 31 at 3:30 pm ET. The webinar will explore the role the legal and judicial systems play in the eviction process, the impact of court policies and processes on residents, and the safeguards needed to ensure renters in your community can avoid eviction – and how to create a fairer playing field when eviction filings do happen.
The National Housing Law Project (NHLP) released a sample brief that advocates may adopt for use by pro se tenants in their jurisdictions seeking to appoint counsel in a pandemic eviction case. Download the template, and access NHLP’s other tools for tenant advocates here.
Reporting
USA Today examines the slow rollout of federal emergency rental assistance (ERA) that is leaving millions of renters across the country at risk of losing their homes. Unnecessary and burdensome documentation requirements, a lack of public education about available resources, and difficult application processes are slowing the distribution of ERA. “States and cities really need to be working overtime and nonstop to get this money out quickly,” said NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel.
USA Today reports on the Biden administration’s decision to extend 100% cost reimbursement for eligible COVID-19 emergency response costs, including non-congregate sheltering for individuals experiencing homelessness and people with disabilities, through December 31, 2021. President Biden’s initial order, issued on January 21, directed FEMA to fully cover the costs of eligible activities through September.
NBC News, Roll Call, and Politico report U.S. District Court Judge Dabney Friedrich on August 13 denied a request from the Alabama and Georgia Associations of Realtors to rule the new CDC eviction moratorium illegal, saying her “hands are tied” by an appellate court ruling maintaining a stay on the previous CDC eviction moratorium. The White House released a statement applauding the ruling. Read NLIHC’s Memo, 8/16 for more information.
The New York Times reports Attorney General Merrick Garland and Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta held a virtual meeting on August 11 with 35 state supreme court justices, urging them to use every tool at their disposal to avert or delay evictions by ensuring tenants and landlords have access to federal emergency rental assistance.
Eric Dunn and Shamus Roller from the National Housing Law Project wrote an op-ed in the Hill on the long-term impacts of the COVID-19 housing crisis. The article discusses the long-lasting and problematic consequences COVID-related eviction records will have on millions of tenants and highlights policy solutions to stop evictions and limit the harm caused by eviction records.
State and Local News
California
A new report from PolicyLink, Chainbreaker Collective, and Homes for All offers policy solutions to keep Santa Fe families housed through the duration of the COVID-19 crisis. The report, Beyond Recovery: Policy Recommendations to Prevent Evictions and Promote Housing Security in Santa Fe, outlines 15 actions the city can take to create a more equitable housing system for all residents.
Maryland
The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development on August 17 announced the launch of the Emergency Rental Assistance Data Dashboard to track the progress local jurisdictions are making in distributing rent relief funds.
The Baltimore City Council unanimously passed a resolution on August 16 calling on Governor Larry Hogan to extend the state’s eviction moratorium, which expired on August 15 along with Maryland’s state of emergency. Governor Hogan says he will not extend the eviction moratorium.
New York
The United States Supreme Court on August 12 blocked a core part of New York’s statewide eviction moratorium. The part in question prevented eviction cases from proceeding if a tenant submitted a declaration form stating they had experienced economic hardship because of the pandemic. The New York Times breaks down what the Supreme Court’s ruling means for New Yorkers.
Oregon
Landlords in Multnomah County (where Portland is located) filed 109 eviction cases in July, a number that is likely to climb in the coming months. Each morning since July 30, county employees have been working to intercept renters who show up for eviction court at the county courthouse to help them apply for assistance.
Guidance
United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH)
Making the Most of the American Rescue Plan: A Guide to the Funding that Impacts People Experiencing Homelessness – August 2021