The federal eviction moratorium is set to expire at the end of this month, which doesn't leave much time to help an estimated 7 million tenants who are still behind on their rent, NPR.org reported. Efforts have been stepped up to distribute some $46 billion in emergency rental assistance, and to head off eviction cases before they end up in court. Shelley Miller, of the Alexandria Eviction Prevention Partnership in Northern Virginia, says it's a challenge. Her group, which includes several local nonprofits, has been working with city agencies and landlords since last year to help tenants at risk of eviction. "It's been a rough go," she says. "Nobody was prepared for this on any level, any front." Biden senior advisor Gene Sperling warned that the country is in a race with time, with emergency rental aid only trickling out. "We are asking our states and local governments to do everything they can to fill that void in a hurry," he said. "Some are ramping up admirably. Some are lagging. But we all have to do better." The Treasury Department reported last week that only $1.5 billion of an initial $25 billion in emergency aid had been spent by the end of May. More money has started to flow since, but state and local governments have taken months to get their programs up and running. Housing advocates say the next few weeks are crucial. One big challenge is getting the word out more widely that help is available. A recent Urban Institute survey found that a majority of tenants and 40 percent of small landlords don't even know about the emergency rental assistance program, which is available through next September.
