‘Executive order is not enough to forestall eviction crisis’
WASHINGTON – NHC President and CEO David M. Dworkin says the president’s executive order on evictions “is not enough to forestall an eviction crisis.”
On Saturday, Aug. 8, President Trump signed an executive order to address evictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The order makes clear that “those who are dislocated from their homes may be unable to shelter in place and may have more difficulty maintaining a routine of social distancing. They will have to find alternative living arrangements, which may include a homeless shelter or a crowded family home and may also require traveling to other states. In addition, evictions tend to disproportionately affect minorities, particularly African Americans and Latinos.”
“The order would do nothing to help Americans pay rent and would place the financial burden on millions of small businesses while making an eviction crisis even more likely later this year. A moratorium alone is a temporary and unfunded mandate that hurts landlords now at the expense of tenants later. If you can’t pay one month’s rent, how on earth can you pay six or 12 months of rent a few months from now,” Dworkin said. “If mass evictions are bad this month, they are just as bad next month. Ultimately, only comprehensive federal rental assistance can resolve an eviction crisis.”
NHC joined housing and advocacy groups in support of $100 billion rental assistance proposed by the House-passed HEROES Act.
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About NHC: The National Housing Conference has been defending the American Home since 1931. Everyone in America should have equal opportunity to live in a quality, affordable home in a thriving community. NHC convenes and collaborates with our diverse membership and the broader housing and community development sectors to advance our policy, research and communications initiatives to effect positive change at the federal, state and local levels. Politically diverse and nonpartisan, NHC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.