Wave Of Evictions Expected To Soon Sweep Across Nation

Federal eviction bans granted temporary protection throughout America during the coronavirus pandemic. However, while many are safe currently, the January protection deadline looms over many heads.

Approximately $32 billion in back rent will come due in the coming months, and up to 8 million tenants will face evictions.

In a typical year, 3.6 million people face eviction cases, according to the Princeton University Eviction Lab, a national housing research center. Unless Congress and the Trump administration move past their deadlock over the contours of a new COVID-19 relief package and include financial relief for tenants and landlords, January will bring a surge in displacement and homelessness.

The Democrat-controlled House passed a relief package that included $50 billion in emergency renter and homeowner assistance funds and a new ban on evictions and foreclosures for 12 months.

More than 60,000 evictions have been filed since the pandemic started in 17 cities. Evictions may contribute to a second-wave COVID-19 crisis, as the newly homeless are forced into shelters or tight quarters.

Though eviction filings in many cities dipped considerably in the wake of the CDC’s temporary ban, they haven’t stopped completely. in Columbus, Ohio, Jacksonville, Fla., and Gainesville, Fla., landlords are filing roughly as many eviction proceedings as they were before the CDC measure. In Richmond, Va., there were 152 evictions filed the week of Oct. 4.

Come January, renters will be forced to give back rent or face eviction. Natasha Burns owes more than $7,000 to her landlord, not including late fees and penalties. She has no idea how she will cover it.

“If it weren’t for the CDC ban, my kids and I would be homeless,” Burns said.