PAGE 11 October 2020 PAGE 15 October 2020
In mid-March, during the first wave of the pandemic, 43
states and the District of Columbia issued eviction
moratoriums, temporarily blocking eviction filings and
enforcement. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic
Security (CARES) Act also placed eviction and foreclosure
moratoriums on federally financed properties. However,
COVID-19 has continued to devastate the U.S. while more
than half of the state moratoriums have expired along with
the federal CARES Act moratoriums. All but nine of the
remaining state moratoriums are set to expire by Oct. 31,
2020.
With the one-time stimulus gone and the weekly $600
expired in July, experts predict
an upcoming wave of
evictions and have warned the government since the
pandemic's peak. In A
pril, the National Multifamily Housing Council and the
National Apartment Association informed Congress that
nearly 11 million U.S. households -- 25 million people --
may need help paying rent because of COVID-19 hardships.
A study by the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program
and the COVID-19 Eviction Defense Project further
projected that 19 to 23 million renters in the U.S. are at risk
of eviction through the end of 2020.
Black, Latinx, and low-income renters are especially at risk
of eviction as they face disproportionate housing cost
burdens, housing instability, and racial discrimination even
prior to the effects of the pandemic. Last year, more Black
and Latinx renters had difficulty paying rent than white
households. Foreclosures and steep housing price declines
in Black and Latinx neighborhoods during the Great
Recession also caused gaps in home ownership between
Black and white families that are still apparent today as
many families haven't recovered. Research shows Black and
Latinx people make up about 80% of people facing eviction
and one study found Black households more than twice as
likely as white households to be evicted.
This is in part due to occupational segregation causing Black
and Latinx people to be overrepresented in low-wage jobs
that cannot be done from home, leading to them being hit
hardest by the stay-at-home orders and more at risk of
exposure to the virus. The disparities are also gendered,
with Black and Latinx women specifically bearing the
highest risk of both COVID-19 and eviction. One horrific
example is the story of Maria del Carmen, a housekeeper in
Philadelphia who happily returned to work in August, only to
discover her clients had contracted COVID-19 and she was
now at risk of catching the virus herself. Her New York
Times profile features similar stories of fear from other
domestic workers, citing a "Depression-level situation" for
housekeepers being asked to clean virus-ridden homes. This
lack of care or empathy for Black and Latinx essential
workers runs rampant in the labor market and forces them
to choose between their income and their health.
Evidence suggests that psychosocial stress and material
scarcity following an eviction can cause profound and long-
lasting harm to financial security, health, and education for
individuals and families. This extends to households
experiencing instability, including simply being threatened
with eviction or having initial eviction paperwork filed.
Adults experiencing evictions have been associated with
several interrelated conditions which can ultimately lead to
hospitalization, substance use, and suicide. Children whose
mothers experience evictions during pregnancy are more
likely to be born with low birthweight or preterm than
children whose mothers are not evicted. In early childhood,
evictions are associated with food insecurity and lead
poisoning which can impair children's physical, mental, and
emotional development.
Many landlords or rental companies will not rent to tenants
with a past eviction record or debt to a previous landlord, so
displaced families struggle to find adequate housing. Some
families sacrifice housing standards or proximity to school
and work, increasing finances required for repairs or daily
commutes. Eviction court costs, moving expenses, medical
bills, and more increased emergency expenses due to
displacement can also empty a household's savings,
especially if they are experiencing job or wage loss such as
many are during the pandemic.
These rental restrictions paired with the physical, emotional,
and financial toll of evictions keep people from accessing
affordable housing, perpetuating a cycle of homelessness.
There are public costs, too – people experiencing
displacement due to eviction are more likely
to need
emergency shelter, rehousing, medical services, child
welfare services, and are more likely to experience the
criminal legal system.
While income plays a crucial role, evictions are also heavily
influenced by geography and racial discrimination due to
varying tenants' rights and eviction laws. The U.S. cities
with the highest eviction rates are overwhelmingly made up
of communities of color – six are located in Virginia and five
in North Carolina. Black and Latinx people are the most
likely to experience eviction, especially among mothers and
their children, people who are disabled, people who were
formerly incarcerated, people who are undocumented, and
those who are LGBTQ.
Because of these disparities, solutions to alleviate the
oncoming wave of evictions must be race-conscious as well
as prioritize the needs of lower-income renters who faced
housing instability prior to the crisis and are at greatest
risk. Eviction prevention is critical and short-term steps
must at the very least include extending moratoriums. The
Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency
Solutions (HEROES) Act, if it passes, includes a year
moratorium on non-payment evictions and a required 30-
day notice of eviction to tenants once the moratorium
expires. The Act, updated Sept. 28, would also include
extended unemployment benefits, another round of
stimulus checks, and increased testing and treatment
resources for COVID-19. It also claims it will help families
afford safe housing with "tens of billions in new supports to
assist renters and homeowners make monthly rent,
mortgage and utility payments and other housing-related
costs – preventing homelessness."
Currently, federal housing assistance helps fewer than one
in four eligible households. While immediate financial
support is necessary, any sustainable solutions to prevent
homelessness also require addressing the root causes of
eviction. Long-term measures to ensure equal access to
affordable housing include laws preventing landlord
discrimination against renters using vouchers along with
increased federal funding assistance. Governments are also
encouraged to reform local zoning regulations and increase
investments in affordable and public housing as well as
equitable development. All policy changes and reforms must
be implemented in ways that are actively anti-racist and
prioritize undoing the disproportionate damage done to
people of color and low-income households.
To ensure the longevity of these changes and to help break
the cycle of homelessness, health care systems must also
play a critical role in these reforms. Health care providers
should advocate for health-promoting policies at the local
and federal levels, including eviction moratoriums and
alternative payment models. Most importantly, the health
care sector is critical to recognizing and addressing evictions
as a public health crisis and advocating that the government
treat them as such.
Tens of millions of American households face an upcoming
potential housing crisis if the government does not provide
substantial, immediate financial relief. Long-term
sustainable progress must work to dismantle racism in the
labor and housing markets as well as highlight the harmful
health effects of eviction and homelessness. If prevention
and support measures are not taken seriously and quickly,
the outcomes could be devastating as evictions cause long-
term, cyclical harm for not only the individuals experiencing
it but also the communities around them.
