Tell Governor Wolf to Do More to Move Rental Assistance

From the Coalition on Human Needs (http://www.chn.org):

The federal eviction moratorium, which was thrown out by the Supreme Court, was a vital protection keeping millions of families safely housed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. To prevent a homelessness crisis, Congress approved more than $46 billion in rental assistance, but just $5.1 billion had reached renters and landlords as of September 10.¹

CHN is escalating our efforts to protect families from looming evictions. We have already called upon the White House to get involved, and now we are sending letters to demand governors help fix the administrative logjams that are preventing tens of billions of dollars of rental aid from reaching people.

Join CHN and our coalition of national partners at https://actionnetwork.org/letters/sign-and-send-the-petition-tell-your-governor-to-distribute-federal-rental-assistance-funds-now in writing to your governor today, demanding they do more to immediately disperse the already-approved federal funds to renters and landlords alike.

If the federal funds have been approved, why is this backlog happening? Many states contracted with third-party vendors to lead the programs, requiring lengthy procurement processes that delayed fund dispersal. There have been computer malfunctions, extra bureaucracy, and burdensome documentation requirements.

In short, tenants and landlords, alike, have struggled to get their applications processed, let alone approved.

We are teetering on the edge of a homelessness crisis, in the midst of a pandemic that shows no signs of ending. That’s why we‘re demanding governors make the application process for rental assistance easier and faster.

Send a letter to demand your governor get this critical rental assistance out the door immediately.

In August, the Supreme Court issued a ruling that rejected the Biden administration’s moratorium on evictions, a policy which was designed to help keep millions of people in their homes in the midst of a deadly pandemic. The Supreme Court’s ruling places ever more urgency on correcting an administrative logjam that is stopping tens of billions of dollars in rental aid from getting out the door by states and localities.

Add your name! Tell your governor to cut out the bureaucratic delays. Tens of billions of dollars in aid, which has already been authorized, needs to be dispersed immediately!

Thank you for all you do to demand accountability from our political leaders and to fight for the needs of working families, the vulnerable, the sick and the poor.

¹ https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/27/us/eviction-moratorium-ends.html