ERASE Updates
NLIHC announced the launch of the End Rental Arrears to Stop Evictions (ERASE) webpage. The webpage includes resources for tenants, state and local housing advocates, policymakers, researchers, and ERA program administrators, like the ERASE Checklist and the ERASE Assessment Tool that ERA programs can reference when developing their program improvement plans.
National Updates
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
The Administration for Community Living, in partnership with HUD, Treasury, and CFPB, held a webinar on September 30 on federal emergency rental assistance (ERA) tools. Many older adults and people with disabilities who are eligible for ERA have not applied. The webinar highlights tools and information to help the aging and disability networks get the word out about available assistance. Access the webinar recording, slides, and transcript here.
Department of Treasury
Treasury announced on October 25 state and local governments distributed nearly $2.8 billion in emergency rental assistance (ERA) to more than 510,000 households in September, up from 459,000 in August. Nearly all jurisdictions reported continued growth in September, and many grantees that were initially slow to deliver assistance reported significant increases in disbursements as they adopted ERA best practices. Access the September ERA spending data here.
Reporting
CNBC reports more than $30 billion in federal emergency rental assistance (ERA) has not been spent, but this does not mean renters are no longer struggling. “There’s certainly remaining need in most states and cities,” said NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel. The article outlines how renters can access the relief, highlighting NLIHC’s ERA database and dashboard.
Politico discusses the new emergency rental assistance (ERA) data released by Treasury on October 25, stating the data show the disbursement of rent relief has started to plateau after making more dramatic gains in previous months. About $10.7 billion in ERA has been disbursed as of the end of September, representing less than a quarter of the $46.5 billion Congress authorized in two tranches.
NPR’s Here and Now shares the story of a single mother who was evicted from her home in July after she contracted COVID-19 and was unable to work. “Congress passed $46.5 billion dollars in emergency rental assistance, but unfortunately, states and localities didn’t have the infrastructure to really get these funds out to tenants and landlords who need it quickly,” said Sarah Hassmer of the National Women’s Law Center, who helped the mother navigate the rental assistance system in Phoenix.
State and Local News
Georgia
Nonprofits in Macon, Georgia are seeing a rise in homelessness following the end of the federal eviction moratorium. Service providers report an influx of families seeking shelter at the Brookdale Warming Center, and the United Way of Central Georgia reports receiving an increase in calls for housing assistance.
Indiana
The Indiana Supreme Court announced a new pre-eviction diversion program for trial courts to help tenants and landlords access federal rent relief more quickly. Learn more about the program, which will go into effect on November 1, in the court’s order. The program was recommended by the Indiana Eviction Task Force in its interim report released on October 18. Advocates report seeing eviction court dockets in Indiana increase since the federal eviction moratorium ended in August. An estimated 65,000 evictions were filed in Indiana since the start of the pandemic, with 1,600 filed in the last four weeks.
An Indy Star analysis of more than 11,000 eviction filings in Marion County from January through September 2021 found that evictions in Indianapolis are driven by a small number of corporate landlords. Corporate landlords filed 88% of all evictions in the city, with many of the companies based outside of Indiana and taking advantage of the state’s easy-to-evict policies.
Iowa
The pandemic has led to a significant increase in calls to Iowa Legal Aid about eviction. Calls for eviction assistance have increased by 140% during the past year. Iowa Legal Aid has set up help desks in courthouses in the five biggest cities to help represent tenants during court hearings.
Louisiana
Eviction filings in the New Orleans area have increased, but federal emergency rental assistance (ERA) has blunted advocates’ worst fears of a surge. Evictions are occurring at a much higher rate in Metairie, where ERA has moved much slower. Louisiana reallocated $23 million in federal rental relief to New Orleans in recognition of how fast the city is distributing funds compared to other jurisdictions. The funds are not coming fast enough for some renters, however, who have been evicted while awaiting approval.
Massachusetts
Housing advocates and renters held a rally outside the Massachusetts state capitol building on October 21, calling on the legislature to restore the statewide eviction moratorium that expired last October. The advocates, who are urging legislators to pass the “COVID-19 Housing Equity Bill” (H1434/S891), say stronger protections are needed as the pandemic and eviction filings continue. Since the bill was heard before the Housing Committee in mid-August, over 24,000 evictions have been filed in court. Learn more about the bill from Homes for All Massachusetts.
New York
As New York’s latest eviction protections near a January end date, City Limits reports New York City tenants’ rights advocates are reigniting their push for “Good Cause” eviction protections. The bill would provide tenants the right to a lease renewal in most cases and prevent landlords from removing a tenant without an order from a judge – even if that tenant’s lease has expired or they never had a lease.
Ohio
There has been a sharp increase in evictions in the Ohio Valley since the federal eviction moratorium was overturned. The current housing crisis in the Ohio Valley is exacerbated by the lack of affordable and available housing in the region, with the threat of COVID-19 and long-term impacts on those who have been evicted yet to be seen.
Rhode Island
The Boston Globe reports that as winter approaches, Rhode Island’s homelessness crisis continues to worsen. The waitlist for shelter in Rhode Island has 1,000 people on it. There is no quarantine and isolation site for unhoused people who test positive for COVID-19, and a new site set to open on November 1 has been delayed.
Advocates and residents gathered in downtown Providence on October 23 to call for action on evictions, homelessness, and the housing crisis – all of which have been exacerbated by the pandemic. The Rhode Island-based group Direct Action for Rights and Equality called on state and local leaders to take action to prevent evictions and ensure housing for all, including by enacting an eviction moratorium and declaring a State of Emergency for homelessness.
Vermont
Federal coronavirus relief funds have fueled a boom in affordable housing projects in Vermont, with more than half of those units set aside for people who are currently experiencing homelessness. Even with this infusion of federal funds, Vermont will face a shortage of affordable and available homes.
Guidance
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Department of Treasury
- ERA Reallocation: Obligation Certification Form – October 25, 2021
- ERA Reallocation: Program Improvement Plan Form – October 25, 2021
- ERA Reallocation: Request for Reallocated Funds Form – October 25, 2021
- Treasury September ERA Data – October 25, 2021
Treasury Report on September ERA Data – October 25, 2021