Stimulus Package Extends Eviction Ban, Offers Rental Assistance
The stimulus package passed by Congress late Monday includes an extension of a national eviction ban through Jan. 31, temporarily avoiding what housing advocates warned would be a dangerous situation for the U.S. amid the raging COVID-19 pandemic.
Congress approved the $900 billion legislation after months of back-and-forth, securing a one-month extension of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s eviction ban and providing $25 billion in rental assistance that will be allocated across states and other localities.
Proponents of the housing ban have warned that allowing the CDC ban to expire at the end of 2020 would further exacerbate the COVID-19 crisis. One recent study found that after 10 weeks, COVID-19 incidence and mortality was higher in states that lifted their own eviction bans than in states that kept their moratoriums in place.
Emily Benfer, a visiting professor of law at Wake Forest University who called the looming end of the ban a “dangerous moment” for the country, cautiously celebrated the package’s passage on Monday night. She wrote on Twitter that the rental assistance was a “needed start” and that extending the ban was “crucial” though improvement is still needed.
The CDC ban comes with limits and loopholes, and evictions and eviction filings have still occurred this year. Benfer previously told U.S. News that Congress needs to address the need for affordable housing before future emergencies.
“Families hardest hit by (the) pandemic have a real shot at surviving it now,” she wrote of the provisions on Twitter. “Now: tenants must be educated on rights & have legal counsel” to avoid evictions until aid arrives, she added.
Source: usnews.com
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