State and Local News
Arizona
For the first time since February 2020, more than 5,000 evictions were filed in January in Maricopa County. Eviction filings have slowly increased since the federal eviction moratorium ended in August 2021. Maricopa County recently announced it had received an additional $39 million in federal rent and utility assistance funds.
Arkansas
Washington County’s emergency rental assistance (ERA) program, which has distributed more than $9 million in ERA, is on pause after exhausting its allocation. The Arkansas Justice Reform Coalition is urging local officials to use other resources to fund the assistance program while the county waits for additional federal funding.
California
The San Jose Spotlight reports that evictions continued to pile up in the Santa Clara County Court as COVID-19 infections spiked across the county this winter. Tenant advocates say the number of eviction cases on the docket each week has nearly reached pre-pandemic levels, and they expect an increase in evictions when statewide tenant protections expire on April 1.
Florida
Florida accepted $740 million in the second round of federal emergency rental assistance (ERA) funds for its OUR Florida program. The program has distributed more than $858 million in assistance to more than 164,000 households across Florida.
Iowa
The Des Moines Register reports Iowa will use $21.6 million from its second round of federal emergency rental assistance (ERA2) funds to significantly expand services for people experiencing homelessness. The Iowa Finance Authority, which is administering the new state-run Rapid Rehousing project, estimates it can house 700 homeless families and connect thousands more to supportive services.
Maryland
The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) will allocate an additional $204 million to continue the state’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP). In addition to the funds provided to DHCD, more than $148 million was allocated directly to Maryland counties and Baltimore City. Information on the preliminary allocation for the second phase of ERAP funding is available here.
Minnesota
The Minnesota Housing Partnership (MHP) is urging Governor Tim Walz and the legislature to appropriate $300 million for emergency rental assistance (ERA) to ensure Minnesotans stay safely housed during the pandemic and beyond. RentHelpMN, the state’s ERA program, closed on January 28, with thousands of renters still qualifying for and in need of ERA.
Nebraska
The Lincoln Journal Star editorial board outlined why Governor Ricketts’s decision to reject $120 million in federal emergency rental assistance harms Nebraskans. “If rejecting federal rental assistance is Nebraska making a statement, it’s an expensive one being made at the expense of some of the state’s most vulnerable,” wrote the authors.
New Jersey
Paterson city officials rejected a proposal to use $3.5 million of the city’s $5.3 million allocation of Home Investment Partnership Program-ARP (HOME-ARP) funds to help tenants pay rental arrears and instead will use the money to house people experiencing homelessness.
New York
According to the New York Times, tens of thousands of New York City public housing residents have fallen behind on their rent, sparking fears of an increase in evictions. Public housing residents have been shut out of the state’s COVID-19 rent relief program, which has compounded the problem. The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) is owed more than $364 million of the rent it charged in 2021, the largest level of unpaid rent in the agency’s history, exacerbating its already dire financial situation. Meanwhile, the “Build Back Better Act,” which would have invested $65 billion in public housing, is stalled in the Senate.
NYCHA announced it had dismissed over 30,000 eviction cases for nonpayment of rent, amounting to 90% of the housing authority’s nonpayment cases as of March 2021. NYCHA will instead focus on 2,300 accounts comprising an estimated $44 million in back rent and will streamline its process for bringing eviction cases to court.
The Hudson Valley One reports that housing advocates in Kingston are working with households affected by the recent expiration of New York’s eviction moratorium while trying to plan their next steps towards creating more affordable housing. Evicted families are often placed in motels by the Ulster County Department of Social Services when rooms are available. However, the motels are sometimes hours away from tenants’ homes, making commutes to school and work impossible for some.
North Carolina
The Pitt County Department of Social Services announced that it stopped accepting applications on February 4 for its Emergency Eviction and Utility Assistance Program. Other programs in North Carolina, like the state’s HOPE Program and the City of Greenville’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program, have also closed in recent months.
Oregon
Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) announced that as of February 2, 2022, OHCS and local program administrators have paid $268.1 million in federal emergency rental assistance (ERA) to 38,078 households through the Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program (OERAP). OHCS has paid out 93% of the federal ERA dollars it received for rental assistance.
Pennsylvania
The Lancaster County Housing Authority is helping about 7,000 households access emergency rental assistance. The housing authority doubled its staff to meet the overwhelming demand for assistance.
South Carolina
The Spartanburg County Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) program has helped over 3,500 people and 1,400 households by providing more than $6 million in assistance. The program has exhausted 90% of its first-round ERA funds and is working with an additional $2.7 million in funds.
Texas
St. Mary’s University School of Law was one of 99 law schools that responded to the U.S. Attorney General’s call to action to the legal profession to address the housing and eviction crisis. In partnership with Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, the San Antonio Legal Assistance Association, and the University of Texas School of Law, St. Mary’s Law launched a Housing Hotline to provide tenants with up-to-date eviction information.
Washington, D.C.
Housing advocates in Washington D.C. are urging officials to use roughly $500 million in reserve and surplus funding for rental assistance. The D.C. Office of the Tenant Advocate reports the District could soon see a surge of evictions.
Wisconsin
Companies controlled by Milwaukee landlord Joe Berrada have filed nearly 800 eviction notices since January 1, 2022. WUWM reported in December 2021 that Wisconsin’s Department of Justice (DOJ) is suing Joe Berrada for allegedly violating landlord-tenant law. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Berrada collected nearly $7 million in rental assistance while the state’s DOJ was preparing its case against him.
Guidance
Department of Housing and Urban Development
HUD Office of Public and Indian Housing: Guidance on Navigating CARES Act Waiver Expiration – Updated February 2, 2022