The Biden administration announced today that it will extend the federal eviction moratorium issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through July 31, and it will implement a whole-of-government approach to prevent a historic wave of evictions this summer, as NLIHC urged the administration to do. The moratorium was set to expire next week.
These actions from the White House extend an essential lifeline to millions of renters who remain behind on rent and would be at heightened risk of eviction when the moratorium expires.
Extending the eviction moratorium through July gives state and local governments more time to distribute more than $46 billion in emergency rental assistance (ERA) to those most in need. The administration’s whole-of-government effort to stem evictions and help ensure ERA is provided efficiently, effectively, and equitably can keep families safely housed and bolster the administration’s efforts to contain COVID-19. While in many areas in the U.S. vaccination rates are up and COVID-19 caseloads are down, communities with lower vaccination rates and more COVID-19 cases tend to be the same communities that have large numbers of renters at heightened risk of eviction.
NLIHC urged the Biden administration to use every tool possible to prevent evictions, and the White House adopted many of our recommendations. In addition to extending the eviction moratorium, the White House will:
- Convene a summit to bring together local teams to develop eviction-prevention action plans.
- Issue new guidance from Treasury for the ERA program to accelerate and broaden state and local delivery of funds.
- Have the Department of Justice send guidance to state courts encouraging them to adopt anti-eviction diversion practices.
- Provide guidance from HUD to help prevent Fair Housing Act violations related to evictions.
- Activate a whole-of-government effort to raise awareness about emergency rental assistance, tapping agencies including Treasury, HUD, CFPB, DOJ, and USDA to inform tenants and landlords of available support.
To amplify and accelerate these efforts, NLIHC is launching a national Call to Action to End Rental Arrears to Stop Evictions (ERASE).
At least 6 million renter households are still behind on rent: state and local governments must use the next month to quickly and aggressively strengthen their emergency rental assistance programs to avert an historic wave of evictions this summer and fall.
With research, tools, capacity building grants, learning cohorts and more NLIHC will urge state and local advocates, city and state officials, and program administrators act quickly to make their emergency rental assistance programs:
Visible: Conduct equitable and robust marketing and outreach efforts to ensure that all renters and landlords know about ERA and how to access it in their communities.
Accessible: Help tenants and landlords receive aid by ensuring an accessible, streamlined, and low-barrier ERA application process.
Preventative: Prevent evictions or housing displacement by creating formal partnerships with state and local courts to support eviction prevention and eviction diversion in coordination with ERA.
How can you participate in ERASE?
Governors and Mayors. Adopt state and local policies needed to ensure ERA programs are visible, accessible, and preventative.
Program Administrators. Use NLIHC resources and guidance to make ERA programs accessible, streamlined, and low-barrier.
Tenants and Landlords. Share your experience. Assist neighbors and friends who might be in need. Advocate for ERA programs to course-correct.
State and Local Courts. Leverage ERA to support eviction prevention and diversion.
State and Local Coalitions. Urge your state and local governments to implement key visibility, accessibility, and preventative elements into your ERA programs. Send letters and written guidance; convene stakeholders, including tenants and other state and local coalitions to add their voices to the effort; and track outcomes and use this information to advocate for further improvements.
For more information or to get involved in ERASE, please contact Sarah Gallagher, ERASE senior director, at: sgallagher@nlihc.org
Join NLIHC’s national call this Monday, June 28 at 2:30 pm ET to learn more about how the extension of the eviction moratorium and other critical actions being taken by the Biden administration will impact renters in your community and what you can do to prevent evictions this summer, fall and beyond!
Register for the call at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1XN2P7w2QnWvVc6Kp1q-nQ.
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