On Thursday, the Supreme Court upheld a lower court decision halting a pandemic-related federal eviction moratorium implemented and enforced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Upward of 1.2 million households are expected to face eviction for nonpayment of rent over the next two months, and almost three-quarters of these tenants are people of color.
Only 11% of the $46.5 billion rental aid program allocated by Congress has been distributed to tenants facing eviction by state and local governments. These factors create a perfect storm that leaves tenants in danger of losing shelter during the hottest part of the summer and amidst a resurgent election if the global health pandemic.
The following is a statement from Diane Glauber, Director of the Fair Housing and Community Development Project with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law:
“With COVID-19 transmission rates at an all-time high in many parts of the country, ending the eviction moratorium will lead to high displacement rates and result in unintended infections in under-resourced communities during a global health crisis. State and local governments should act quickly to protect at-risk tenants and limit the spread of the delta variant amid unjust evictions.”