Dear DHRC members and partners,

We have just learned that the House plans to vote next week – as soon as Monday, June 29 – on the “Emergency Housing Protections and Relief Act of 2020” (H.R. 7301). This bill is a collection of the various emergency housing provisions already approved by the House in the HEROES Act, including NLIHC’s top priorities: emergency rental assistance, a national, uniform eviction moratorium, resources to prevent and respond to outbreaks among people experiencing homelessness, and other critical resources aimed at ensuring housing stability during and after the pandemic.

Renters cannot wait for the broader coronavirus package expected in late July. Please ask your representatives to vote in favor of the “Emergency Housing Protections and Relief Act of 2020,” and urge your senators to take up the bill in the Senate and vote to approve it! Contact your members of Congress through NLIHC’s Legislative Action Center, and consider adding your organization to two national sign on letters!

Additional updates below.

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Coronavirus Update, Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Please note that NLIHC will be hosting weekly national calls on COVID-19 and housing/homelessness every Monday afternoon. The call is this coming Monday, June 29, from 2:30pm to 4:00pm ET. Register for the call here: https://tinyurl.com/ru73qan.

NLIHC is maintaining a COVID-19/Housing and Homelessness News and Resource page here.

We’re excited to announce that Nikole Hannah-Jones, the creator and Pulitzer-Prize-winning author of the New York Times Magazine’s “The 1619 project,” and Marla Newman, NLIHC board chair, will discuss “Racial Equity and Housing Justice During and After COVID-19” on July 7 at 2:00 pm ET. This conversation will not be recorded or archived, so be sure to catch it live! Register for the event today!

National Updates  

Department of Agriculture

USDA announced on June 23 extended foreclosure and eviction moratorium for all Single Family Housing Direct Loans through August 31, 2020.

Advocacy

The NLIHC-led Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition will continue to push for a broad array of resources and protections, including emergency rental assistance and eviction prevention assistance, a national moratorium on evictions and foreclosures, and emergency funds for homelessness service providers, housing authorities, and housing providers, among other recommendations. For more information, see DHRC’s full list of recommendations.

ICYMI: The Eviction Lab launched the Eviction Tracking System to monitor housing loss in several major cities as eviction moratoriums expire.

Reporting

Bloomberg CityLab explores how the Franklin County Municipal Court has converted the empty Columbus Convention Center into a housing court. The housing court now occupies a space that is at least four times as large as its space in the courthouse. The Greater Columbus Convention Center can also accommodate housing and legal aid organizations.

The New York Times examines the predicted surge of eviction cases in New York City as housing courts reopen. Housing advocates estimate that 50,000 to 60,000 cases could be filed in New York City’s housing courts in the coming days.

An op-ed in the Hill written by Samantha Batko and Mychal Cohen of the Urban Institute warns of a looming eviction crisis as eviction moratoriums and supplemental unemployment benefits come to an end.

State and Local News

A list of state and local emergency rental assistance programs is available here from NLIHC.

Alaska

Anchorage officials have proposed spending up to $22.5 million in federal coronavirus relief funds to purchase four properties and convert them into homeless shelters and service sites.

Arizona

Democratic lawmakers in Arizona are urging Governor Doug Ducey to extend the statewide eviction moratorium that is set to expire July 22. Lawmakers are concerned that rates of eviction and homelessness will surge, given that unemployment claims continue to increase, and state rental assistance has failed to arrive.

California

The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority released its full COVID-19 Recovery Plan for people experiencing homelessness on June 23. The plan outlines an ambitious goal to rapidly move 15,000 high-risk people experiencing homelessness into permanent housing, including the 4,000 people who were provided temporary shelter through Project Roomkey. The program will cost $800 million, which includes approximately $600 million in new funding over the next three years and $200 million in costs that were already budgeted in the homeless service system.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Los Angeles County’s plan to lease hotel and motel rooms for 15,000 people experiencing homelessness is falling short of its goal. Officials have secured only 3,601 rooms - a fourth of the number needed to shelter all those who are eligible.

The Los Angeles City Council on June 23 approved a $100 million rent relief program, The program, funded through California’s allocation of federal CARES Act dollars, is expected to help nearly 50,000 families who have been impacted by COVID-19.

An editorial in the Los Angeles Times argues that while Los Angeles County’s $100 million rental assistance fund is an important first step, state legislators should take action on a proposed statewide rent relief plan and Congress must invest significant resources to ensure that the pandemic’s economic fallout does not devastate landlords, renters, and the housing market.

The Mercury News discusses how the coronavirus pandemic could exacerbate Black Californians’ housing crisis. Black households are disproportionately more likely to be cost burdened, and tenants’ rights groups fear that a wave of evictions is on the horizon.

Colorado

The Greeley Tribune discusses the disagreements between tenant and landlord groups about the best way to move forward after Governor Jared Polis’ most recent and more limited order to delay evictions expires July 13. “Right now, we are thinking 300,000 to 400,000 people face eviction risk in Colorado,” said Executive Director and Co-Founder of the COVID Eviction Defense Project Zach Neumann.

Louisiana

Fair housing advocates in Louisiana fear there will be an avalanche of evictions, placing people at increased risk of contracting the coronavirus. “It is likely that we will be sending people into crowded courtrooms for eviction procedures, putting people at risk of going into crowded homeless shelters, which really could spark a second way of infections,” said Cashuana Hill, executive director of the Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center.

Maryland

The Fair Action Housing Center of Maryland has seen a 400% increase in clients compared to last year, and advocates warn that high unemployment rates will almost certainly lead to a significant increase in eviction filings.

New Jersey

New Jersey advocates are concerned that business interests are being prioritized for pandemic relief over low-and middle-income residents. Advocates highlighted ongoing concerns about housing, health care, and the urgent need to mitigate the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on Black and Latino communities.

New York

The New York City Rent Guidelines Board, which sets rents for roughly 2.3 million residents of rent-regulated apartments, approved a measure on June 17 that froze rents for one year.

Nonprofit Quarterly reports on concerns about a tsunami of eviction filings since the state’s eviction moratorium expired over the weekend. “All levels of government have to realize that they cannot let tens of thousands of people end up in homelessness shelters. It’s the most dire thing that we have ever seen,” said Edward Josephson, the director of litigation and housing at Legal Services NYC.

North Carolina

Using a $500,000 grant from the Charlotte COVID-19 Response Fund, an organization called Socialserve has distributed critical rental assistance to low-income households impacted by the pandemic. Socialserve collaborated with Charlotte Mecklenburg Housing Partnership to distribute $429,000 in rental assistance for 330 renter households. They also helped 30 individuals experiencing homelessness to secure housing by paying $45,000 in upfront housing costs.

Ohio

The Daily Record examines the added difficulties that the pandemic has created for people experiencing homelessness. Advocates, including the Coalition on Housing and Homelessness in Ohio (COHHIO), an NLIHC state partner, are urging federal and state officials to prioritize rental assistance.

Oklahoma

Marketplace examines Tulsa’s eviction crisis that had existed even before the pandemic. The Tulsa County courthouse reopened on June 1, with more than 1,200 eviction cases pending.

On June 19, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt announced that the state is allocating $10 million in Coronavirus Relief Funds toward an Eviction Mitigation grant program. The Eviction Mitigation program will reimburse organizations paying landlords for rental assistance to households impacted by COVID-19. The program will be administered through local non-profits.

South Carolina

With the unemployment rate in North Charleston now five times greater than pre-COVID levels and no eviction moratorium in place, advocates and tenants are concerned about a surge in evictions that could overwhelm the court system. The Charleston County Magistrate courts received 120 new eviction filings in the first two days of the moratorium being lifted.

Texas

According to Texas Housers, Harris County has proceeded with eviction hearings behind closed doors during the pandemic. While a handful of cities and counties in Texas issued eviction protections, Harris County did not issue a long-term eviction moratorium.

Of the 3,652 evictions filed in Harris County between March 27 and June 22, at least 368 of those – approximately 10%  – appear to be in violation of the CARES Act.

The Dallas Observer reported that 44% of the $13.7 million that Dallas has distributed through its COVID-19 rental assistance program has gone to residents in some of the city’s wealthiest districts.

Vermont

A new report from the Center for Global Health Equity at Dartmouth, “COVID-19 and Rural Health Equity in Northern New England: Impacts on Health Equity,” revealed key strengths in the rural region’s response to the coronavirus. In a New Hampshire Public Radio interview, the authors discussed why the report focused on housing and what the study found concerning housing and homelessness. “We heard reports of the tremendous effort that was put into play to identify and also to house individuals who became homeless within the context of the pandemic, particularly in Vermont,” said Elizabeth Carpenter-Song, one of the report’s authors.

Guidance

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

COVID-19 Infection Control Inventory and Planning (ICIP) Tool for Homeless Service Providers - June 11
Homeless Shelter Worker Training

Department of Housing and Urban Development

Federal Funding Priority Order for Non-Congregate Shelter During COVID-19 - June 23

Flexibilities/Waivers Granted by the CARES Act + Mega Waiver and Guidance - June 22
Prevention to Promote Equity

Landlord Engagement Spotlight: Miami-Dade County

Department of Treasury

Coronavirus Relief Fund Frequently Asked Questions - Updated June 24