Holding off the flood

The 535 members of Congress, more than half of whom are millionaires, are among the rare Americans who haven’t experienced pay cuts or layoffs because of coronavirus, so they probably aren’t too worried how they’ll make next month’s rent or mortgage.

What’s certain after Congress failed to reach a deal to extend enhanced unemployment benefits and a national eviction moratorium — both of which lapsed late last month — is that the powers that be in Washington don’t grasp the enormity of the housing crisis the rest of this country is facing.

The $600-a-week supplement helped mask the depth of the job and income losses across the U.S., while the federal eviction moratorium helped keep people in their homes, an unquestionable good in a pandemic where health experts urged people to stay inside.

The eviction moratorium’s end means as many as 12 million tenants across the country are staring down the possibility of being ousted from their homes and apartments beginning this month. In New York State alone, the expiration of enhanced unemployment benefits for the more than 1.1 million people who’ve lost their jobs means tenants will owe an estimated $743 million more in outstanding rent every month than what their regular unemployment benefits will cover.

Eviction moratoria have expired in 24 states, but New York’s moratorium is being extended for many. A $100 million pot of rental assistance money is flowing, albeit with technical issues. But it’s not enough. This is a time bomb. An indolent Congress already lit the fuse.