We are alarmed by reports that Los Angeles County’s Project Roomkey is beginning to wind down due to uncertainty around FEMA reimbursement. There are concerns that FEMA might suddenly stop funding the program, forcing the county to abruptly shut down hotels before the opportunity to move residents into permanent housing. Please let us know if you are aware of other cities or states with non-congregate shelter programs running into similar issues with FEMA, so we can raise this issue with Hill staff.
Please continue to spread awareness about the federal eviction moratorium and the steps renters must take to be protected! NLIHC’s National Moratorium webpage has materials developed by NLIHC, NHLP, and other national partners, including an overview of the moratorium, an FAQ for renters, and versions of the CDC declaration form in 13 languages. The federal eviction moratorium provides essential relief for renters, but it merely postpones evictions – it doesn’t prevent them. Congress must provide at least $100 billion in emergency rental assistance to keep renters stably housed during and after the pandemic.
Join Ta-Nehisi Coates, National Book Award winner and distinguished writer in residence at NYU’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute, and NLIHC for a conversation on “Racial Equity and Housing Justice during and after COVID-19” on October 6, at 1pm ET. If you haven’t done so already, register for the live-stream event at: https://bit.ly/3io8Q7Q. Don’t forget to submit questions for Mr. Coates through the registration page or via social media using #RacialEquityandCOVID!
The NLIHC-led Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition stands ready to convene and support disaster-impacted communities to ensure that federal disaster recovery efforts reach all impacted households, including the lowest-income and most marginalized people who are often the hardest-hit by disasters and have the fewest resources to recover.
NLIHC hosts weekly national calls on coronavirus, disaster, housing, and homelessness on Mondays at 2:30pm. Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Peter Hepburn from Princeton University’s Eviction Lab will join our next call on Monday, September 28, from 2:30pm to 4:00pm ET! Register for the call here: https://tinyurl.com/ru73qan. Coronavirus Updates
NLIHC is maintaining a COVID-19/Housing and Homelessness News and Resource page here.
NLIHC’s National Eviction Moratorium resource page provides important information about the federal moratorium and resources to ensure every renter knows about the protection and takes the steps necessary to stay in their home.
National Updates
Federal Housing Finance Administration
The FHFA announced on September 24 that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will extend buying loans in forbearance and COVID-related loan processing flexibilities until October 31, 2020.
Advocacy
NLIHC’s 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.
Reporting
In an op-ed in the Washington Post, Alieza Durana and Anne Kat Alexander of Princeton’s Eviction Lab point to the spike in eviction filings between federal eviction moratoriums as a sign the eviction crisis will get much worse if Congress fails to pass rental assistance.
Knowable Magazine examines the life-altering impacts of evictions that extend far beyond the immediate loss of one’s home. Before COVID-19, millions of people received eviction notices each year, and this number is expected to increase due to the pandemic and its economic fallout.
In an op-ed in the Boston Globe, Emily Benfer, professor at Wake Forest University School of Law and co-creator of the COVID-19 Housing Policy Scorecard with the Eviction Lab, outlines the reality of the eviction crisis and urges policymakers to swiftly intervene to prevent a tidal wave of evictions.
CNBC compiled a list of resources for people struggling to pay their bills, including their rent and mortgage. The article includes a brief overview of the CDC moratorium, a link to NLIHC’s state and local rental assistance database, and additional resources for renters and homeowners.
A new poll of more than 3,000 people from NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found nearly 1 out of 5 respondents reported struggling to pay rent and mortgage. The poll found Black and Latino households were twice as likely as white families to report they are struggling to pay or have fallen behind on housing payments.
Vice reports on a new company called Civvl that aims to make it easy for landlords to hire process services and eviction agents as gig workers. “Legal court evictions are on hold. But most of these management companies, they’re not necessarily evicting people through courts,” said Javier Ruiz, a counselor on the Tenants’ Rights hotline for the Metropolitan Tenants Organization. “They’re just evicting people through pressure. So that’s why I see a company like [Civvl] would be coming in.”
State and Local News
A list of state and local emergency rental assistance programs is available here from NLIHC.
Arizona
Tucson Weekly shares the story of a family evicted in August in Pima County after being wrongfully denied protection under Governor Doug Ducey’s executive order prohibiting evictions.
California
The LA Times reports L.A. County’s Project Roomkey will drop several hundred beds each month until it ends early next year. Heidi Marston, executive director of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, expressed concerns about uncertain funding from FEMA and the potential for the agency to suddenly stop funding the program, forcing the county to abruptly shut down hotels.
The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously on September 23 to authorize the use of more than $10.4 million for an emergency legal defense program to support renters facing eviction amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Efforts by the Bakersfield-Kern Regional Homeless Collaborative to lease a motel under Project Roomkey were stymied by a NIMBY hospital that insisted the move would increase vandalism and theft.
The San Jose City Council approved a 10-part anti-displacement plan to provide rental assistance and give nonprofit organizations first priority on property that goes on the market. The anti-displacement plan obligates city leaders to support federal legislation and private efforts to help tenants and landlords pay back rent and eliminate some of the legal costs of evictions.
Colorado
Advocates, including the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, who have been frustrated by the failure of elected officials and service providers to build a regional effort to address homelessness hope the pandemic may force Colorado to change its approach.
Florida
The Florida Housing Justice Alliance and Connected in Crisis are calling on Governor Ron DeSantis to extend Florida’s eviction and foreclosure moratorium, set to expire October 1, and to formalize unofficial moratoriums utility companies have voluntarily followed. The coalition is also urging Governor DeSantis to provide direct financial assistance for rent, mortgages, and utilities.
State Representative Anna Eskamani is urging Governor Ron DeSantis and other elected officials to use a portion of the remaining $5.8 billion in Florida’s CARES Act funding to fund civil legal aid for renters facing eviction through the Florida Bar Foundation.
Illinois
Housing experts expect to see a surge in homelessness in Chicago this winter, especially if Illinois does not extend the statewide eviction ban set to expire in late October. Chicago is allocating millions of dollars from the CARES Act to provide housing to more than 1,000 Chicagoans experiencing homelessness.
Iowa
A program funded by $800,000 from Polk County’s CARES Act funding and staffed by Iowa Legal and the Polk County Housing Trust Fund provides low-barrier rental relief. The project, set up outside Polk County’s eviction court, connects tenants with legal assistance and immediate rental assistance. Since the program began September 1, it has helped prevent 61 evictions affecting 149 residents, including 77 children.
Maryland
The Baltimore Sun reports Baltimore County officials estimate there could be as many as 24,000 eviction filings in a single month once courts get up to speed processing claims. County officials are setting aside federal funds for rental assistance and considering legislation limiting how much landlords can increase rent during the pandemic. Baltimore County’s Eviction Prevention Program, which has provided $1.2 million to 485 households so far, is providing funding in a “phased approach.”
Nevada
The Sparks City Council voted to allocate $85,000 of coronavirus relief funding toward an eviction mediation program while a state effort to establish a similar program is still being developed.
New Hampshire
Homeless shelters across New Hampshire are preparing for an especially challenging winter as the December 30 deadline to spend and complete projects using federal Coronavirus Relief Fund dollars draws closer.
New Jersey
Homelessness increased 6% in Hudson County last year, and officials expect this number to rise due to the pandemic and economic fallout. A report conducted by the statewide advocacy group Monarch Housing highlights concerning trends in Hudson County, including a 39% increase in individuals who are chronically homeless and glaring racial disparities in people experiencing homelessness.
New York
Housing advocates in New York City report some building owners are trying to illegally evade the federal and state eviction moratoriums. “We’ve seen a big uptick in illegal lockout proceedings as landlords are becoming frustrated with the continued eviction moratorium,” said Emily Eaton, an attorney with Legal Aid.
New York Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie responded to advocates urging him and other state officials to extend the state’s eviction moratorium to “stop worrying about the evictions” without providing any information to support his assertion that there will not be mass evictions when the moratorium expires October 1.
“Between the 200,000 pending housing court cases and the 14,000 households with an active eviction warrant, allowing the moratorium to expire and these cases to proceed would be nothing short of catastrophic,” said Judith Goldiner, the head of the Legal Aid Society’s Civil Reform Unit.
North Carolina
A Lee County magistrate wrongfully rejected a Sanford renter’s signed CDC declaration, arguing the federal moratorium does not apply to her because she does not live in federally subsidized housing. The individual, however, is protected by the moratorium.
The North Carolina Housing Coalition details where and how Community Development Block Grant – Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) funds are being deployed across the state. North Carolina will be receiving an additional $46.8 million in the third and final tranche of CDBG-CV funds.
Ohio
An op-ed in the Columbus Dispatch written by Steven Wagner, the executive director of the Universal Health Care Action Network Ohio, highlights the intricate connection between housing and healthcare. Wagner urges Governor Mike DeWine to allocate some of the state’s remaining $1 billion in CARES Act funds to rent relief.
The Coalition on Housing and Homelessness in Ohio (COOHIO), an NLIHC state partner, is urging tenants facing eviction to act immediately to get protection under the CDC eviction moratorium. COOHIO has compiled resources on applying for the federal eviction protection, finding emergency rental assistance programs in Ohio, and locating legal aid organizations.
Texas
Houston Public Media reports Houston-area housing court judges are moving forward with evictions despite the heavy flooding from Tropical Storm Beta, the pandemic, and a federal eviction moratorium.
Utah
Salt Lake City and county officials are encouraging Utahns to apply for rental assistance funds available through the CARES Act as soon as possible and regardless of their immigration status. Many renters seeking help from Comunidades Unidas, a Utah nonprofit, are concerned they will need to repay the rental assistance or that it will prevent them from obtaining lawful permanent resident status. “We’re having to do a lot of education in terms of trying to minimize the fear in our communities,” said the Mayra Cedano, the organization’s executive director.
Washington DC
After widespread tenant intimidation, the D.C. Council on September 22 passed legislation to establish and extend several tenant protections during the pandemic. The Council passed a bill extending the eviction ban for 60 days after the health emergency expires.
Learn more about the DHRC’s policy recommendations here.
Wildfires in the West
Vice highlights the challenges unhoused individuals on the West Coast, who are unwillingly at the frontlines of the climate crisis, face amid the wildfires and hazardous air quality. Oregon (DR-4562-OR) Reporting
Some Oregon residents report difficulties accessing FEMA assistance in the wake of the wildfires, referring to FEMA’s process as “worse than fighting the fire.” Residents express frustration with navigating FEMA’s bureaucratic application process, having applications repeatedly denied, and dealing with the agency’s lack of guidance and response.
Direct Temporary Housing Assistance is approved for certain eligible applicants in Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis, and Vernon parishes. Temporary Housing Units, Direct Lease, and Multi-Family Lease and Repair may be provided.
Buzzfeed News reports dozens of residents of two federally subsidized senior housing projects in Lake Charles waited up to 72 hours for assistance without food, water, or power after Hurricane Laura. Various federal, state, and local agencies essentially stated the seniors’ welfare was not their responsibility. “Our disaster and response program is fundamentally broken. We need to start over,” said NLIHC Vice President of Public Policy Sarah Saadian.
WWNO reports Calcasieu Parish officials announced that virtual learning will be ‘optional,’ or in many cases, impossible, due to a lack of internet access. Forty-eight percent of families had not returned to the area three weeks after Hurricane Laura hit, and in some parts of the region, 60-70% of homes were rendered uninhabitable. The district’s student body is majority low-income and many students experience food and housing insecurity. District officials acknowledged that the best – and in some cases, the only way – to reach students is by reopening physical schools.
President Trump approved a major disaster declaration for Florida in the areas affected by Hurricane Sally. Federal funding is available through FEMA’s Public Assistance (PA) program for emergency work and repair or replacement of facilities in Escambia County. Emergency protective measures, including any direct federal assistance, will be available in 12 Florida counties.
FEMA on September 23 announced its intent to reimburse state and local Iowa governments and agencies and eligible non-profit organizations for costs incurred to repair and replace facilities damaged by the severe storms. Twenty-three counties are eligible for Public Assistance, 11 counties are eligible for Individual Assistance, and all counties are eligible for Hazard Mitigation Grant programs.
Under a major disaster declaration (DR-4561-IA) for Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa (Meskwaki Nation), FEMA announced its intent to reimburse tribal government and eligible non-profit organizations for Public Assistance.
Reporting
PBS Newshour reports that weeks after the Iowa derecho, residents displaced by the devastating windstorm are still in need of temporary housing. More than five weeks after the derecho, 27 counties are still under a state disaster declaration, but residents have received only $7 million from FEMA.
According to a KCRG investigation, Linn County Emergency Management Coordinator Steve O’Konek rejected relief assistance from other county management agencies, organizations, and corporations.
A staff columnist article in the Gazette discusses how the Iowa derecho and pandemic are compounded by inept leadership. The author highlights how federal, state, and local government leaders failed to act while hundreds of Iowans were, and continue to be, in desperate need of assistance.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition is dedicated solely to achieving socially just public policy that ensures people with the lowest incomes in the United States have affordable and decent homes.
DISASTER HOUSING RECOVERY COALITION, C/O NATIONAL LOW INCOME HOUSING COALITION
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