Representatives Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Rose DeLauro (D-CT), and Cori Bush (D-MO) introduced the “Housing Emergencies Lifeline Program (HELP) Act” on February 10. The bill would ban credit agencies from reporting evictions, fund legal services for certain eviction cases, and increase enforcement against illegal tenant removals. The bill is endorsed by NLIHC, the National Housing Law Project, and many other housing organizations.
“Every eviction is a form of policy violence,” said Representative Pressley. “This pandemic has had a devastating emotional and financial impact on our families, and Congress must act with urgency to protect them from eviction and keep them safely housed.” Representative Bush agreed. “Evictions can be a death sentence for the millions of Americans forced on to our streets each year,” she said. “When Black renters, particularly Black women, are receiving eviction notices at nearly twice the rate of white renters, when almost half of all Black renters don’t know if they’ll be able to make next month’s rent, lawmakers have no choice but to step in and provide life-saving solutions.”
According to Representative DeLauro, “the HELP Act provides those at risk of eviction access to legal counsel, creates a database to track evictions, and prohibits credit reporting of evictions and rent and utility debt. We must work to end the vicious cycle of poverty and ensure that people have the resources and support they need for stable housing.”
NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel lauded the bill, observing that “the long-standing eviction crisis – which predominantly harms Black women – underscores the need for both urgent action and long-term solutions, including through legislation like the Housing Emergencies Lifeline Program Act.”
Read the press release here.
Read the bill text here.