With worries about the end of 2020’s COVID-19 eviction moratorium, there’s aid in Whatcom
With the pandemic taking its toll on people’s income, many renters could face eviction if the Washington state and federal moratoriums are not extended.
Gov. Jay Inslee has extended the state eviction moratorium until Oct. 15 via a July proclamation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also issued a national eviction moratorium effective through Dec. 31.
Both measures help keep renters in their homes amid the pandemic as a matter of public health. However, renters still have to pay their missed rent when the moratoriums end, creating a significant financial burden for many as the economy has yet to recover.
The Washington Low Income Housing Alliance has advocated for the state to extend the eviction moratorium to March 2021 and couple it with significant rental assistance, said executive director Rachael Myers. Other organizations such as the Bellingham Tenants Union have called for the same extension and rent cancellation, according to a union newsletter.
“The scope of the problem is really extreme, like nothing that we’ve ever seen before,” Myers said. “We are extraordinarily worried that if the eviction moratorium doesn’t continue, and ultimately if it isn’t coupled with significant rental assistance that we’ll see just a huge wave of evictions and increased homelessness along with that.”
Eviction filings expected
The United States Census Bureau found about 30.7%, of Washington adults lived in households where eviction or foreclosure was likely or somewhat likely, albeit with an 8.2% margin of error, according to its latest survey that studies the impact of the pandemic from Sept. 2-14.
Nationally, the bureau’s survey reported 33.5% of adults lived in similar conditions with a 2.1% margin of error over the same time period.
Between 9.7 and 14.2 million renter households across the country are estimated to be collectively behind on their rent by about $12 billion to $17 billion as of Sept. 14, according to a study released Sept. 28 by the National Council of State Housing Agencies.
That sum is expected to grow to about $25 billion to $34 billion by January when the federal moratorium is set to expire, according to the study. By the same time, the study estimates there will be 8.38 million eviction fillings.
In Washington, about 190,000 to 300,000 renter households are estimated to be behind on their rent and at risk for eviction, according to the study. By January, Washington eviction filings could total 170,000 and the range of the rent shortfall could be between $600 million and $858 million based on estimates in the study.
Given the scale of the problem, Myers said an extension through March could buy time for legislators to develop more comprehensive assistance. She added her organization has also worked with advocates at the federal level to address the growing need.
“It’s just far beyond what the state could possibly provide,” Myers said. “We could need $1 billion in rental assistance to catch renters up through early next year.”
Rental assistance available
The state received $100 million from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, for rental assistance programs in August, according to a state news release. This funding has been distributed by the Department of Commerce to local organizations who pay landlords on behalf of eligible clients, the release read.
Myers said her organization has been in contact with around a dozen providers of that funding and all of them have reported significant demand over the past few weeks. She added she expects the $100 million in funding to be depleted fairly quickly.
In Whatcom County, the local health department has been working with local partners to distribute over $3.3 million in CARES Act funding to households in need, according to an Aug. 5 news release.
The Opportunity Council, a non-profit that supports homeless and low-income families, has partnered with the health department to administer requests for rental assistance. So far, demand for the programs has increased every month, said Debbie Paton, department director for Community Services and Energy Services.
“We’re up to several hundred calls for that service each month and we have close to 400 appointments available in the month of October,” Paton said. “So, we’ve been also ramping up each month.”
Paton said the Opportunity Council has about $2.5 million in rental and mortgage assistance funding that she expects to last until the end of the year.
“It is a very heavy lift to get staffed up and organized to get this much funding out to the community,” Paton said. “We are fully operational now but yes it will get us through the end of the year (when the funding expires).”
However, Paton said there could be a significant surge in demand if the eviction moratoriums at the state and federal level are not extended.
“We’re trying to anticipate as best we can what that’s going to look like for people, but we have been gearing up to be able to help people,” Paton said.
Residents from households earning no more than 80% of the area median income can apply for rental or mortgage assistance through the CARES Housing Assistance Program by contacting LAW Advocates at 360-671-6079, extension 14, the Salvation Army at 360-733-1410 or the Opportunity Council at 360-734-5121, extension 316. This program runs until Oct. 30.
Renters from households earning no more than 50% of area median income can apply for the Eviction Rent Assistance Program by contacting the Opportunity Council at 360-734-5121, extension 316, through Dec. 31.
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