Millions Of Americans Are At Risk If A Federal Hold On Evictions Expires. Who Can Help?

WAMU 88.5 | By Amanda Williams

Published December 16, 2020 at 4:06 PM CST

An apartment maintenance man changes the lock of an apartment after constables posted an eviction order in Phoenix, Arizona. Thousands of court-ordered evictions continue nationwide despite a Centers for Disease Control moratorium for renters impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Although state and county officials say they have tried to educate the public on the protections, many renters remain unaware and fail to complete the necessary forms to remain in their homes. With millions of Americans still unemployed due to the pandemic, federal rental assistance proposals remain gridlocked in Congress.

Millions of people are falling behind on rent and utilities as Americans endure the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal eviction moratorium, set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is set to run out at the end of 2020, as are unemployment protections. Around 2.4 to five million Americans are also at risk of eviction in January alone, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The Washington Post broke the numbers down.

analysis by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, looking at people who had jobs before the pandemic, found 1.3 million such households are now an average of $5,400 in debt on rent and utilities, after those people had lost jobs and their family’s income plunged.

And many experts are warning that it’s unlikely many people will have saved enough to cover several months of rent in one payment, after the eviction moratorium has lifted.

Find our last conversation about evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic here.

We’re talking about what Congress could do to assist these renters with Senator Elizabeth Warren, (D-MA). We also answer your questions about rights for tenants and what resources are available to help.

Many of you reached out about how to support Tashonda after hearing her story on the show. Here’s a link for those who want to give to her directly.

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