Although the $46.5 billion Emergency Rental Assistance Program has paid out tens of billions of dollars to help avert an eviction crisis, some tenants who received help are finding themselves threatened with eviction again — sometimes days after getting federal help, the Associated Press reported. Many are finding it nearly impossible to find another affordable place to live. The National Housing Law Project, in a survey last fall of nearly 120 legal aid attorneys and civil rights advocates, found that 86% of respondents reported cases in which landlords either refused to take assistance or accepted the money and still moved to evict tenants. The survey also found a significant increase in cases of landlords lying in court to evict tenants and illegally locking them out. “A number of issues could be described as issues related to landlord fraud ... and a set of problems I would describe as loopholes within the ... program that made it less effective to accomplish the goal,” said Natalie N. Maxwell, a senior attorney with the group. National Apartment Association President and CEO Bob Pinnegar said the survey was not based on facts, adding that its members are doing everything they can to keep tenants in their homes, including lobbying to get rental assistance out faster. Read more.
In related news, Seattle’s eviction moratorium implemented nearly two years ago due to the coronavirus pandemic will be extended through the end of February and then not renewed, the Associated Press reported. Mayor Bruce Harrell made the announcement Friday about the moratorium, which has prevented evictions of residential renters, small businesses and nonprofits. The Seattle Times reports it is at least the seventh time the moratorium, first enacted in March 2020, has been extended. “With COVID cases steadily declining, the time has come for the city to move on from the broad approach of the eviction moratoria and instead drive more deliberate and focused efforts to support those most in need,” Harrell said in a statement. Harrell directed the city’s Office of Housing to distribute $25 million to renters and small landlords, as a complement to the larger rental assistance being distributed by King County. About 124,000 households — more than 12% of all renters — in the Seattle metro area, which includes King, Pierce and Snohomish counties, are behind on rent, according to a Census survey from the first weeks of January. Read more.
