WASHINGTON – In an attempt to stave off an impending wave of evictions following the expiration of the CARES Act eviction moratorium in July, the White House announced Tuesday plans to issue a new moratorium to prevent evictions through the end of the year for certain eligible renters.
“The order does a good job of explaining in great detail why we must address this growing crisis. Unfortunately, it does nothing to solve it. It merely kicks the problem down the road to January, when the weather will be colder and more people will be experiencing even greater crisis,” said National Housing Conference President and CEO David M. Dworkin.
Following the directive in the executive order issued on Aug. 8, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an agency order that prohibits the eviction of covered households from any residential property for nonpayment of rent. In order to be eligible for the moratorium, however, renters must not exceed the thresholds for receiving an Economic Impact Payment under the CARES Act. Renters will also be required to demonstrate to their landlord or property manager that they have experienced a loss of income, made best efforts to pay rent, attempted to obtain relevant government assistance, and, if evicted, would likely become homeless or forced to live in congregate housing.
“There is broad agreement across the housing industry that the only real solution to this crisis is federal rental assistance,” said Dworkin. “For property owners, it is a crushing unfunded mandate that will bankrupt many small businesses. For 43 million renter households, it creates a complicated and opaque maze that those most in need cannot possibly navigate. Congress and the White House must reconvene negotiations on a comprehensive solution immediately. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has said ‘Our first choice is to have bipartisan legislation that allocates specific rental assistance to people hardest hit.’ If there’s that much agreement, then there is no reason to delay any further.”
The National Housing Conference has been defending our American Home since 1931. #OurAmericanHome @natlhousingconf @davidmdworkin
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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.