September 2020: Federal Eviction Moratorium

This was originally published on October 1, 2020 in the OCDCA Newsletter.

Federal News

Important Eviction Moratorium and Rental Assistance Information

From the National Low-Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) . . .Evidence is growing that corporate landlords are trying to rush evictions through court systems before renters learn about their rights under the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) eviction moratorium. These are the same corporate landlords who repeatedly attempted illegal evictions under the more limited CARES Act eviction moratorium. This is outrageous and truly despicable.

The CDC eviction moratorium protects eligible renters that have signed a declarative statement, but most renters remain unaware of the moratorium and the steps they must take to protect their homes! Help get the word out!

To be protected by the CDC's eviction moratorium for nonpayment of rent, qualified renters facing eviction should immediately provide a signed declaration to their landlords! Details about the moratorium and a sample declaration is on NLIHC's National Moratorium webpage that includes materials developed by NLIHC, NHLP and other national partners, including:

Overview of National Eviction Moratorium
National Eviction Moratorium: FAQ for Renters (translated into Spanish)
Sample declarative statements in English, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Arabic.

Please do all you can to get the word out about the moratorium and declarations to all renters! Urge your members of Congress and policy makers at all levels to inform struggling constituents of their protections under the CDC order.

Then, continue to urge Congress and the White House to #GetBacktoWork to enact the essential housing provisions included in the HEROES Act and passed by the House four months ago!

The federal eviction moratorium is essential relief for struggling renters, but it merely postpones evictions - it doesn't prevent them. Renters are accruing more debt than they can possibly pay off, and small landlords are increasingly struggling to pay their bills without rental income. Congress must provide at least $100 billion in emergency rental assistance to keep renters stably housed during and after the pandemic and to ensure we don't lose any of our country's essential housing stock.

Take Action

1. Share information with renters about the federal eviction moratorium and the steps they must take to be protected!

2. Contact your senators and representatives: Demand that Congress and the White House restart negotiations and pass the essential housing provisions of the HEROES Act. Find the phone numbers of your members of Congress here or send an email!

Thank you for your advocacy!

State News:

JobsOhio Launches Vibrant Community Program

The Vibrant Community Program recognizes that distressed communities may not have adequate resources to develop and implement economic development projects that can attract private investment and create new jobs in the community. The program was established to assist distressed small and medium sized communities with the implementation of catalytic development projects that fulfill a market need and represent a significant reinvestment in areas that have struggled to attract new investment. For more information click here.

$650 Million in Coronavirus Relief to Local Governments

The General Assembly approved $650 million to Ohio cities, townships and villages to cover their coronavirus-related expenses, in a move that would allocate the state's final share of emergency local-government funding. The article lists awards by county and local government. All of these resources must be spent responding to the pandemic and members should reach out to their local governments to learn of opportunities.

Frontline Examines Child Poverty in Ohio Communities

PBS Frontline examines issues surrounding child poverty during the pandemic by visiting three Ohio communities in their documentary film called Growing Up Poor in America. Click here to view.

Aug 2020: State Approves Millions More In Local Government Relief, Safety Net Not Priority

This was originally published on September 2, 2020 in the OCDCA Newsletter.

Federal News

Take Action Now: Call For Emergency Rental Assistance

Congress is back to work to negotiate the next pandemic relief bill. With mass unemployment and over 500,000 Ohio tenants wondering how they'll pay next month's rent, emergency rental assistance must be part of the solution!

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) has introduced legislation (S. 3685, H.R. 6820) to provide a $100 billion time-limited emergency rental assistance program. The U.S. House has already passed similar legislation, but so far Senate leaders have been reluctant to act. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) could help break the partisan divide.

Please take a couple of minutes to ask Sen. Portman and your U.S. House member to support emergency rental assistance for unemployed workers impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Sen. Portman, who introduced the Eviction Crisis Act in December, understands the damage eviction causes to people, but he has not yet publicly advocated for emergency rental assistance to help the millions of unemployed Americans facing eviction during the public health crisis.

White House Issues Broad Moratorium on Evictions

From the National Low-income Housing Coalition (NLIHC)...Yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control took the extraordinary and unprecedented action of issuing a national moratorium on most evictions for nonpayment of rent. The action is long overdue, badly needed and will provide essential protection to millions of renters. The very least the federal government ought to do during a global pandemic is assure each of us that we won't lose our homes in the midst of it: the administration's action would do just that and will provide relief from a growing threat of eviction for millions of anxious families. The moratorium takes effect on September 4.

While an eviction moratorium during the pandemic is essential, it is a half-measure that delays but does not prevent evictions. Congress and the White House must get back to work on negotiations to enact a COVID-19 relief bill with at least $100 billion in emergency rental assistance.

Together with a national eviction moratorium, this assistance would keep renters stably housed and small landlords able to pay their bills and maintain their properties during the pandemic.

Read NLIHC's statement on the eviction moratorium here.

State News

State Approves Millions More In Local Government Relief, Safety Net Not Priority

Another $175 million in federal coronavirus aid dollars are headed to Ohio's local governments after recent Controlling Board approval. The General Assembly already authorized $350 million of the $1.2 billion in federal aid dollars earmarked for local governments in separate legislation earlier this year.

The latest installment comes with the same restrictions on how the money can be spent - namely, direct costs associated with the pandemic. Local governments have until Oct. 15 to allocate it before the funds are returned to counties and until Dec. 28 before unspent funds are returned to the state.

Local governments have used previously distributed CARES Act funds to fund public health efforts, emergency rental assistance, provide support to small businesses and individuals facing hardship, and to fund other relief efforts. Members may consider contacting their local governments to explore partnership opportunities to aid your community needs.

Advocates led by the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO) have asked the DeWine administration to use $100 million of the aforementioned funds for emergency rental assistance to avoid a looming eviction crisis. The administration has stated that for now the coronavirus fight has to take priority over the safety net. Mitigating evictions not only alleviates family suffering but also is a logical strategy to control virus transmission by keeping people safely housed.

This Cleveland woman's eviction case highlights the growing struggle among Ohioans to pay rent during the pandemic. Matthew Desmond author of "Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City" recently described the danger of not addressing evictions during the pandemic citing data from Hamilton County.

Congress is currently debating a relief bill that includes a U.S. House passed provision for $100 billion in emergency rental assistance. Please see the federal section for information to call Congress and Senator Portman to support this most critical resource.