Additional Coronavirus Updates - October 5, 2020

 National Updates   

Advocacy

NLIHC’s Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC) will continue to push for a broad array of resources and protections, including emergency rental assistance and eviction prevention assistance, a national moratorium on evictions and foreclosures, and emergency funds for homelessness service providers, housing authorities, and housing providers, among other recommendations. For more information, see DHRC’s full list of recommendations.

The National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) released a third report as part of its series on homeless system responses during COVID-19.

Reporting

NPR discusses the inextricable connection between housing stability and health. The article links to the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign’s sign on letter urging congressional leaders to include critical housing resources and protections in the next COVID-19 relief package to support housing stability, promote good health, and reduce risk factors that lead to higher health care utilization.

Politico examines how the coronavirus pandemic is impacting every aspect of well-being in the U.S., including housing stability. The article discusses the looming housing crisis and links to NLIHC’s rental assistance database.

According to a report released by the National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA), U.S. renters will owe up to $34 billion in back rent by January 2021. This rent shortfall estimate does not include any interest or feeds landlords may charge. State housing finance agencies in 33 states have implemented emergency rental assistance programs in the last six months, but they will be unable to meet the overwhelming need for aid without additional federal support.

The Associated Press reports at least 26 lawsuits against eviction moratoriums across the U.S. have been filed by property owners this year, including several federal challenges to the CDC eviction moratorium.

NPR Weekend Edition reports that despite the CDC eviction moratorium, landlords have filed tens of thousands of eviction notices.

According to a CNN analysis of Eviction Lab data, neighborhoods with elevated rates of medical conditions that put people at high risk of complications from COVID-19 have seen disproportionately high rates of eviction filings over the last six months.

Vice reports corporate landlords are still filing eviction cases, despite the CDC eviction moratorium. According to the Private Equity Stakeholder Project, corporate landlords filed 5,214 eviction cases in the month following the national moratorium.

The New York Times Magazine shares the stories of elderly Americans facing homelessness amid the pandemic. An analysis estimates that in the next 10 years, the number of seniors experiencing homelessness in the U.S. will nearly triple – and that was before the COVID-19 pandemic.

WYNC’s The Takeaway discusses the rise in homelessness amid the coronavirus pandemic. Anna Orso, a reporter with the Philadelphia Inquirer, speaks about the confluence of the racial justice movement and the movement for affordable housing taking place in Philadelphia.

A Shelterforce article discusses the challenges navigating the eviction process and the long-lasting impacts of eviction. The author outlines actions that can be taken at the federal, state, and local levels to mitigate the looming eviction crisis, highlighting the urgent need for $100 billion in emergency rental assistance.

State and Local News

A list of state and local emergency rental assistance programs is available here from NLIHC.

Arizona

By projecting statewide estimates onto Pima County, two researchers estimate the number of households in the county at risk of eviction in the coming months ranges from 10,406 to 26,606. The researchers estimate the number of people experiencing homelessness has risen by nearly 800 people – an increase of about 58%.

Community organizations in Phoenix are concerned about a potential rise in homelessness after the CDC moratorium expires on December 31. “That date is going to be the tsunami – the cliff – I don’t know what else to call it,” said Victor Contreras of Chicanos Por La Causa. “That is what keeps me up at night. It’s not just about losing your house or being evicted from your apartment, it’s about the impact that has on families, on kids, on education, on the gaps in education, access to internet and computers.”

California

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the city’s Project Roomkey will start winding down immediately, with all 2,340 hotel guests moved to other places by June 2021. Supervisor Matt Haney reports the program is being phased out under the assumption that FEMA will stop reimbursing it. Over the next several months, hotel residents will be connected to shelter beds, sanctioned encampments, housing vouchers, permanent supportive housing, or a city-funded bus ticket.

Governor Gavin Newsom announced $137 million in the third round of Project Homekey awards to 15 applications for 19 projects totaling 938 units. Governor Newsom also announced he has asked the Joint Legislative Budget Committee to approve his request for an additional $200 million in Coronavirus Relief Funding (CRF) for Project Homekey.

Cap Radio discusses homelessness in California during COVID-19, including an update on Project Homekey and how state lawmakers are working to address the growing risk of homelessness amid the ongoing pandemic.

Mercury News reports Governor Gavin Newsom has asked the state’s Joint Legislative Budget Committee for an additional $200 million for Project Homekey. If approved, the request would increase the program’s buying power a third, enabling it to fund 20 more projects on the waitlist.

There are reports that some of the recent fires at or near several encampments in Venice have been started deliberately. Los Angeles City Councilmember Mike Bonin filed a motion to offer an award for information leading to the identification, apprehension, and conviction of the person(s) responsible for these acts of arson.

Los Angeles’ largest landlord group, the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles (AAGLA), announced on September 21 it had filed a preliminary injunction against the city of Los Angeles to stop the eviction moratorium and rent freeze. The AAGLA joins a landlord group that recently sued California, Los Angeles County, and several Southern California cities over several tenant eviction protections enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Outreach workers in Costa Mesa have started to see an increase in the number of displaced and financially insecure families in and around the city. City officials are developing a rental relief program that could come before the council in October.

Colorado

CPR examines how the CDC moratorium has slowed but not stopped evictions in Colorado. Elena Wilken, executive director of Housing Colorado, calls attention to inconsistencies in how counties are interpreting both state and federal eviction orders.

Florida

The Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida is bracing for an uptick in homelessness once Governor Ron DeSantis’ eviction moratorium expires on October 1. “We’ve got more than 40% of the folks who are walking through our doors right this moment that have never been homeless before,” said Allison Krall, president and CEO for the Coalition.

The Gainesville Times explains how the CDC eviction moratorium can help tenants impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. One judge with the Hall County Magistrate Court had only seen one CDC declaration as of last week. Some landlords speaking with the Magistrate Court judges have not received any CDC declarations from their tenants.

Georgia

The Associated Press reports a Georgia property owner is among those suing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over the federal eviction moratorium.

Hawaii

An op-ed in the Honolulu Star Advertiser argues that renters need more assistance to remain stably housed. The $100 million State Rent Relief and Housing Assistance Program has received tens of thousands of applications for financial assistance.

Kentucky

The Kentucky Equal Justice Center updated its eviction prevention app. The app allows renters to review, sign, and email a CDC Declaration to their landlords to get protection from eviction under the national moratorium.

WKYU explains what the Kentucky Equal Justice Center’s eviction prevention app does and why it’s an important tool.

Maryland

The Baltimore Sun reports that a temporary moratorium in Maryland on water, gas, and electric service cut-offs remains until November 15, but notices can be sent starting October 1. Residents will have 45 days to address unpaid bills once they receive a termination notice, and they will not have their service disconnected if they work out a payment plan or apply for energy assistance.

Massachusetts

Housing advocates in Massachusetts are ramping up pressure on the state legislature to pass a bill that would ban evictions and freeze rents for one year after the end of the COVID-19 emergency. Governor Charlie Baker appears ready to allow the state’s eviction moratorium to expire in two weeks. Advocates estimate the expiration of the moratorium could result in anywhere from 20,000 to 80,000 evictions.

An op-ed in the Boston Globe argues that Massachusetts must extend the state’s eviction moratorium to protect voting rights. The state’s moratorium is set to end on October 17, just weeks before Election Day.

Minnesota

The MinnPost reports Minnesota’s COVID-19 housing assistance program, funded with $100 million of CARES Act money, has received more than 4,500 completed applications since it launched one month ago. The amount requested in those applications is more than $25 million. There have been more than 19,000 applications started across the state.

Hennepin County and St. Stephen’s Human Services, a nonprofit organization that has operated an emergency shelter in Minneapolis since 1981, have been using several hotels to house people experiencing homelessness during the pandemic. The long-term lease agreements between the county and hotels are funded through the CARES Act.

Missouri

The ACLU and ACLU of Missouri filed a federal lawsuit on September 30 challenging the Jackson County Circuit Court’s administrative order that says it implements the CDC nationwide eviction moratorium but instead permits eviction cases to move forward in violation of it. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of KC Tenants.

A commentary in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch argues the U.S. will experience a wave of evictions if Congress fails to provide at least $100 billion in emergency rental assistance. Chris Krehmeyer, the president of Beyond Housing, a nonprofit organization, fears the looming eviction crisis will overwhelm organizations’ availability of funds. “I don’t think philanthropy can cover the size and scale of what could be coming,” said Krehmeyer.

Nebraska

Despite the state and federal eviction moratoriums, 466 evictions have occurred in Omaha during the pandemic. According to the Understanding Evictions in Omaha study, evictions are not evenly distributed across Omaha, with communities of color disproportionately impacted due to the city’s history of racial inequity.

Nevada

While the Nevada Supreme Court considers the parameters of the state’s eviction mediation program, housing advocates and representatives of the Nevada State Apartment Association disagree on the two primary proposals being considered by the court.

New Jersey

NJ.com reports applications for New Jersey’s Small Landlord Emergency Grant Program (SLEG) reopened for its second round of applications on September 28. The reopening of SLEG follows a $2.35 million grant to provide legal aid to at-risk tenants.

New York

The Legal Aid Society released a statement on September 26 ahead of a vigil in support of New Yorkers residing at the Lucerne Hotel. “As we have said since day one, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s capitulation to a small group of vocal NIMBYists with a racist agenda is unconscionable and inexcusable,” the statement reads. “The troubling message the City sends these New Yorkers by making this regrettable decision is clear: you cannot live here, and the voices of the people who complained are worth more to us than your well-being.”

The Legal Aid Society condemned an executive order signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo extending protections to a subset of residential tenants who were facing evictions before the pandemic shut down courts. The executive order does not extend the blanket eviction. Rather, it expands eligibility for protection under the state’s Tenant Safe Harbor Act.

The Legal Aid Society urged Governor Cuomo to extend the residential eviction moratorium, which expired on October 1, to cover all tenants, regardless of circumstance, and extend well beyond the end of the pandemic.

North Carolina

North Carolina landlords filed evictions against more than 18,000 tenants in the two-month gap between the state moratorium, which expired June 23, and the CDC moratoriums.

Ohio

CNN reporter Kyung Lah shares the stories of tenants in Columbus, Ohio who are facing eviction despite the national eviction moratorium. Melissa Benson of the Legal Aid Society of Columbus states that most renters do not know about the moratorium or the steps they need to be protected.

The Columbus Dispatch reports Mount Carmel Health System’s outreach teams have expanded outreach to people experiencing homelessness amid the pandemic.

Oklahoma

The Oklahoman reports that rental assistance and input from Legal Aid have been effective in keeping renters housed during the pandemic. As of September 15, Community CARES Partners had served nearly 400 individuals and provided more than $1 million in housing assistance. Hundreds of evictions still occur each week, thousands are reaching out for assistance, and services for people experiencing homelessness are in high demand.

Oregon

According to the Oregon COVID-19 Farmworker Study, a collaboration between 11 organizations and research institutions, Oregon’s agricultural laborers have faced heightened risks during the pandemic. Some continue to report insufficient access to personal protective equipment, a lack of social distancing at work sites, and inconsistent access to COVID-19 testing. The data were collected through surveys and interviews with more than 200 farmworkers across the state.

Governor Kate Brown extended Oregon’s eviction moratorium through December 31, 2020, in response to COVID-19 and wildfire emergencies.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Real-Time News reports that the Greater Harrisburg Area Tenants United distributed information to tenants facing eviction at the Magisterial District Court 12-1-01 in Susquehanna Township on September 30. The advocates are working to ensure tenants understand their rights under the CDC eviction moratorium and take the necessary steps to receive protection.

Rhode Island

South Coast Today discusses renters’ frustrations with accessing Rhode Island’s rental assistance programs. Governor Gina Raimondo acknowledges that the programs, Housing Help RI and the Safe Harbor Housing Program, face procedural hurdles that have slowed the distribution of the funds.

Texas

Governor Greg Abbott on September 25 announced the allocation of over $171 million in CARES Act funding for rental assistance and the newly created Texas Eviction Diversion Program.

Utah

The Associated Press reports an outbreak at a Utah homeless shelter has resulted in 72 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. The sharp increase coincides with a rise in cases in Utah as a whole. There are currently 93 confirmed cases in Salt Lake City-area homeless shelters.

Virginia

Governor Ralph Northam expanded Virginia’s rental and mortgage relief program to allow landlords to apply for assistance on behalf of tenants.

Wisconsin

The Cap Times proposes that growing homeless encampments in Madison signal a worsening housing and homelessness crisis ahead. Advocates are concerned about the upcoming winter, citing concerns that the expiration of the federal eviction moratorium will place even greater strain on the shelter system.

Guidance

Department of Housing and Urban Development

COVID-19 Homeless System Response: Rapid Rehousing Ramp-Up

COVID-19 Homeless System Response: Remote Supervision Tips for Homeless Service Providers

FEMA

COVID-19 Housing Resource Roadmap – September 22