CDC announces limited, targeted eviction moratorium until early October
On Tuesday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a new eviction moratorium amid the rising spread of the delta variant,saying that evicting people could be detrimental to public health and would interfere with efforts to slow the pandemic.
This comes after the previous federal and state eviction moratoriums ended last weekend — putting millions of Americans at risk of being evicted. The new moratorium will last until October 3 for areas with “high” and “substantial” levels of COVID-19 transmission. In North Carolina, that means all but four counties would get protections for struggling renters that have been hit hardest by soaring COVID-19 infection rates.
- According to the Aspen Institute, more than 15 million people live in households that owe as much as $20 billion to their landlords. As of July 5, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. said they faced eviction in the next two months, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey.
- In North Carolina, nearly 210,000 households are behind on rent, according to the US Census Bureau’s late June household pulse survey.
- On Monday, Biden called on state and local governments to put their own pause on evictions for at least two months, and urged them to use $46.5 billion provided by the coronavirus relief package for tenants and landlords.
- North Carolina’s Housing Opportunities and Prevention of Eviction, or HOPE, which provides rent and utility bill assistance to low-income renters in 88 North Carolina counties, has only spent 16% of COVID-19 relief aid due to a Republican-backed bill that
slowed the HOPE program’s ability to reopen.
With the delta variant rising and COVID spread remaining a threat, the NC General Assembly needs to immediately release funds to place unhoused North Carolinians in safe and secure housing and allocate money to provide direct rent and mortgage relief for those who have fallen behind on payments during the pandemic.
Too many North Carolinans have fallen through the cracks. In order for our state to meet the needs of the people, our lawmakers must adequately allocate funds for rental assistance, push for laws that ensure tenant protections and reduce barriers to affordable housing.
Not only will vulnerable communities be impacted for generations, but the welfare of every community will be affected if lawmakers do not make the necessary decisions to keep everyone protected.
If you need assistance, here are a few resources:
- Find more about the HOPE Program, including eligibility requirements, program benefits and an online application, are available at www.hope.nc.gov or call (888) 927-5467.
- Reach out to Legal Aid of North Carolina for legal assistance through the eviction process.
- Contact the CARES Act Eviction Information Line at (919) 590-9165.
- Check and see if you are eligible for the Department of Social Services’ Low-Income Energy Assistance program, which pays portions of electric bills.
