Homeless for the Holidays
Enacted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on September 4, 2020, the national eviction moratorium will end on January 1, 2021. The moratorium was designed to help slow the spread of COVID-19 using housing as a means of social distancing, but even this nationwide health policy did not successfully prevent all evictions. Who is tracking evictions and what can we do to advocate for fair and inclusive policies? Girl Friday thinks these questions are worth investigating.
Startling statistics.
With the policy coming to an end, the Aspen Institute estimates that 30 to 40 million people in the U.S. will be vulnerable to potential evictions in January because of failure to pay rent. Right now, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 12 million Americans are late paying rent and almost 83 million say they have found it challenging to manage their typical expenses in addition to rent or mortgages, like food and car payments.
Meet Alora Manny.
Behind every statistic, there is a story. Alora Manny worked at an Amazon fulfillment center in Arizona. With COVID-19 transportation policies limiting the number of passengers, her already lengthy commute was doubled and she was fired for being late. Despite following every procedure outlined in the national eviction moratorium and reaching out to social services for assistance, she and her three children were evicted in September 2020.
Pressuring states to act.
In lieu of a national policy, proactive state-level measures could stall, or even end, the eviction crisis. Emily Benfer, a visiting law professor at Wake Forest University, manages a database of eviction policies. Her research shows that some states have let their eviction bans lapse. Florida is one of those cases. On December 17, 2020, advocates and government officials in Tallahassee called for Governor Ron DeSantis to reinstate Florida's eviction moratorium and protect tenants, homeowners, and landlords.
Join the National Low Income Housing Coalition's Campaigns. From their Legislative Action Center, you can participate in active campaigns like COVID-19 relief advocacy. You can draft letters to government officials and find local data to customize your messages. If you prefer posting on social media to writing letters, the campaign includes a comprehensive toolkit with sample posts.