Key Points:
Prior to the CDC announcing its new moratorium, Census data show that 3.1 million low-income renter families said they were likely or very likely to be evicted in the next two months, out of the 6.3 million low-income families who say they were behind on their rent. The new CDC order will cover 80% of all counties and approximately 90% of all families.
Implementing federal, state and local eviction protections will keep millions of families stably housed and should give state and local governments enough time to get the nearly $47 billion in Emergency Rental Assistance out the door.
A conservative estimate based on prior research puts the broader cost of each eviction to tenants, landlords and the broader community at roughly $6,500, meaning an effective rollout of eviction protections and rental assistance could prevent $18.3 billion in additional economic costs.
State and locally-run ERA programs have already helped nearly 640,000 families, but most local governments must still take steps to streamline their programs to quickly get rental assistance to the low-income renters who need it the most.
Eviction moratoria effectively keep families in their homes, and the CDC’s decision to bar evictions in counties with elevated COVID-19 transmission through October 3 will be a vital tool to protect public health. Federal, state and local policymakers must now step in with additional action to both keep families housed and distribute more of the nearly $47 billion in federal Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) before the ban expires.
Doing so will not only protect families from the trauma of an eviction, but will also help prevent the job losses, greater financial stress and worsened physical and mental health that are associated with housing displacement. Studies show that a disproportionate share of those facing an eviction are Black and Hispanic families, meaning that an eviction moratorium and the ERA program are important for preventing further racial inequality.
Read the brief here.
