National Updates
Reporting
The Washington Post reports on the federal stimulus benefits that will expire this month, noting that millions of Americans will lose unemployment benefits, access to paid sick leave, and protections against evictions. “The only thing that remains between the renter and being kicked out on the street is expiring on December 31,” said NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel.
Common Dreams reports Moody’s Analytics estimates that renters will owe up to $70 billion in back rent when the federal eviction moratorium expires at the end of December. The article highlights NLIHC’s Diane Yentel’s calls for Congress to provide rent relief and extend the federal eviction moratorium.
CNBC examines why tens of thousands of evictions have occurred despite the federal eviction moratorium. “The CDC or Department of Justice isn’t enforcing the moratorium the way they should be. It allows landlords to move forward wrongfully, without consequence,” said NLIHC Vice President of Public Policy Sarah Saadian.
The Center for Public Integrity discusses the impending eviction crisis, noting that millions of renters are on the brink of eviction and financial ruin. The article highlights the millions of dollars renters owe in back rent. “This is debt that renters will never be able to afford to pay off,” said NLIHC’s Sarah Saadian.
ABC News reports on the looming eviction crisis, highlighting NLIHC research estimating that 6.7 million renter households are unable to pay their rent and will be at risk of eviction. An ABC News analysis found that during the pandemic, the rate of evictions in majority Black and Latino neighborhoods has been twice that of mostly white neighborhoods.
The Washington Post reports on economists’ warnings that many unemployed families will be unable to pay rent and utilities without additional stimulus aid from Congress. According to Moody’s Analytics, renters will owe up to $70 billion in back rent when the federal eviction moratorium expires on December 31.
NBC News reports on the challenges facing homeless shelters this winter amid the ongoing pandemic. Advocates are concerned that the coming winter and expiration of the CDC eviction moratorium will further strain our country’s overstretched shelter system.
Ted Koppel of CBS News spoke with Matthew Desmond, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and principal investigator of the Eviction Lab, about COVID-19 and the impending eviction crisis. “Ten million people have lost their jobs, rents have continued,” said Desmond, “and we're seeing millions of people at the threat of eviction, during a time when your home is your best medicine.”
Pew Charitable Trusts Stateline examines statewide efforts to purchase hotels to house people experiencing homelessness, including California’s Project Homekey and Oregon’s Project Turnkey.
Pew Charitable Trusts examines how courts across the nation have taken varied approaches to eviction cases amid the pandemic and various federal, state, and local eviction moratoriums. The authors encourage policymakers and court leaders to study the impact of emergency eviction orders to identify the most effective strategies to maintain the transparency, equity, and efficiency of the court process.
The Los Angeles Times’ editorial board urges Congress and the White House to take immediate action to prevent a catastrophic wave of evictions when the federal moratorium expires at the end of the year.
State and Local News
A list of state and local emergency rental assistance programs is available here from NLIHC.
Alaska
Alaska Public Media reports there are currently more people in the Anchorage shelter system than there have been on any other year on record. While federal resources have helped the city move individuals experiencing homelessness into permanent housing, advocates fear there will be an increase in need when the federal moratorium and other stimulus benefits expire at the end of this month.
Arizona
The Arizona Daily Sun reports that Flagstaff nonprofits are bracing for a difficult upcoming year as the federal eviction moratorium comes to an end.
California
On December 5, city officials reported that 55 people at the San Diego Convention Center’s emergency homeless shelter tested positive for COVID-19. The individuals who tested positive will be temporarily moved to a local hotel.
Mercury News reports that amid surging COVID-19 cases, some Bay Area officials are working to keep Project Roomkey hotels open. Four San Francisco supervisors introduced legislation that would force the city to keep its 2,300 hotel rooms open until every resident is housed or until FEMA stops providing funding.
A column in the Los Angeles Times examines California’s impending eviction and homelessness crisis amid surging COVID-19 cases, colder temperatures, the expiration of eviction protections, and the winding down of Project Roomkey programs.
Marin County will use hotel rooms as emergency winter shelters if weather conditions are deemed severe enough to warrant it.
Amy Duganne from Ventura County United Way predicts that the impending eviction crisis in Ventura County will lead to increases in homelessness that will disproportionately impact Black and Latinx communities. Mercy House, which runs homeless shelters in Ventura and Oxnard, has seen a 40% increase in newly homeless people during recent months.
Connecticut
Nonprofits in Southeastern Connecticut are concerned about a rise in evictions and homelessness when the state and federal eviction moratoriums expire at the end of the year. Housing advocates point to the critical need for federal rental assistance to help the estimated 200,000 Connecticut residents behind on rent.
FEMA announced that it will reimburse Connecticut over $2 million for costs incurred by the Connecticut Department of Housing to provide non-congregate sheltering for people experiencing homelessness during the pandemic.
Iowa
Nearly $9 million in Emergency Solutions Grants – Coronavirus (ESG-CV) funds will be available for low-income Iowans at imminent risk of eviction, residents who have already been evicted, and homeless shelter operations.
Maine
An op-ed in the Press Herald from Daniel Brennan, director of MaineHousing, urges Congress and the White House to take immediate action to keep Mainers housed by providing additional federal funding for emergency rental assistance and shelter operations. Brennan also discusses the critical need for FEMA to fully fund non-congregate sheltering programs.
Maryland
Maryland housing experts are warning officials about the impending eviction crisis and potential rise in homelessness. Up to 204,000 Maryland households are at risk of eviction. The pandemic has highlighted how the shortage of affordable housing impacts residents and the need to improve homelessness services in the state.
Massachusetts
WBUR reports that Massachusetts’ trial court system received nearly 2,000 newly filed eviction cases for failure to pay rent since the statewide eviction moratorium expired on October 17. Housing advocates are calling on officials to take action to prevent evictions amid surging COVID-19 infection rates and the looming expiration of the federal moratorium.
Minnesota
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel heard arguments on December 7 in a case filed by two property owners seeking to overturn Governor Tim Walz’s nine-month eviction moratorium. Judge Brasel did not provide a ruling. The moratorium is in effect until December 14.
New York
An article in the Democrat and Chronicle discusses the eviction protections provided to New York tenants under the federal and state eviction moratoriums. Housing advocates highlight the shortcomings of these moratoriums and the need for a more comprehensive state moratorium with fewer loopholes.
Documented discusses how immigrants have been excluded from COVID-19 emergency rent relief. After four months, over half of all reviewed applications to New York’s State Rent Relief Program have been denied, and at least 60% of the funds have not been distributed.
More than 110,000 New York City students are homeless – living in shelters or in unstable, temporary housing arrangements. Of those children, 32,700 are staying in city homeless shelters, and another 73,000 are in “doubled-up” living situations.
The New York Times discusses a new blueprint for housing investment for New York City’s next mayor developed by a coalition of more than 80 organizations. The stakes are particularly high given the wave of evictions that are expected to occur as a result of the pandemic.
North Carolina
Some North Carolina landlords are rejecting rent payments from the Housing Opportunity and Prevention of Evictions (HOPE) program for struggling tenants facing evictions. One landlord told a renter that he did not agree with “the overly burdensome agreements contained in the landlord agreement portion of the program.”
Oregon
Oregon’s Senate Democrats are divided over a House proposal to extend the state’s eviction moratorium by an additional six months, expressing concerns about dire outcomes for property owners. This disagreement could prevent an unprecedented special legislative session that has been discussed by Governor Kate Brown and legislative leaders.
Housing advocates say that proposed legislation to assist renters and landlords would fail to prevent housing instability for thousands of Oregonians. The proposed bill would allow landlords to apply for $100 million in state grants that would reimburse them for 80% of unpaid rent accrued since April 1, 2020. If awarded the grants, landlords would forgive the remaining 20% and could not evict tenants until July 1, 2021.
Pennsylvania
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s editorial board argues that solving landlord-tenant disputes outside of court should become the norm. Philadelphia’s new Eviction Diversion Program has demonstrated early success. Over the last two months, 237 mediations took place, with 182 of those reaching agreements and avoiding eviction filings. Housing advocates are seeking to extend the program, and the City Council is set to vote this week on an extension through March 31.
WHYY reports housing providers in Pennsylvania are scrambling to set up new systems for protecting individuals experiencing homelessness this winter since the ongoing pandemic has reduced shelter capacity and the federal eviction moratorium expires at the end of December.
South Carolina
According to the South Carolina Housing Authority, between 99,000 and 182,000 households are at risk of eviction when the federal eviction moratorium expires on December 31.
Texas
Texas Housers invites interested individuals to join its next COVID-19 Response Call on Tuesday, December 15, at 12:30 pm CT. NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel will be among the panelists discussing the correlation between eviction moratoriums and COVID-19 safety.
Advocates report that thousands of North Texans are at risk of losing their homes as the expiration of the federal eviction moratorium quickly approaches. Dallas Evictions 2020, a group of about 150 attorneys offering free legal aid to North Texans facing eviction, has worked with about 4,000 renters.
Virginia
Nonprofits in Prince William County are warning of an impending eviction crisis as the expiration of the federal eviction moratorium draws nearer and CARES Act rental assistance funds run out. CARES Act funds used for rental assistance were exhausted within weeks due to the overwhelming need for housing aid in the county.
Washington, DC
Time is running out for the D.C. Council to pass permanent legislation that would seal tenants’ eviction records that could harm their ability to secure housing. The council approved emergency and temporary legislation that includes eviction-sealing requirements like those in the permanent bill.
Guidance
Department of Housing and Urban Development
COVID-19 Informational Flyer: Winter Shelter During the Pandemic
COVID-19 Homeless System Response: Grants Management - Procurement Strategies for ESG-CV
CDBG-CV Duplication of Benefits Quick Guide
Additional CDBG-CV Resources on Preventing Duplication of Benefits