Tenants, landlords vulnerable, need assistance
Kudos to Columbus City Council for stepping up to assist families and small businesses that are struggling without income during the pandemic. While a good step, it won’t be nearly enough to meet the needs of everyone.
I am outraged that President Trump walked away from COVID-19 relief negotiations. He ignored the urgency for the millions of Americans still suffering through the worst economic crisis in a century.
The situation for American renters and landlords is particularly dire. Without help, unemployed renters and their landlords will continue to accumulate bills they cannot pay. Economist Mark Zandi estimates that renters could owe $70 billion in back rent by January. On Oct. 1, the House passed a compromise measure that would, among other things, provide robust rental assistance through early 2021. However, instead of working to reach a deal, the president just walked away and the Senate did absolutely nothing except rush the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett rather than focus on the millions in peril.
Families struggling to keep a roof over their heads should not be left to face this crisis alone. I urge leaders in Washington to get their priorities straight and pass a strong COVID-19 relief bill ASAP that includes at least $100 billion in rental assistance for the coming year.
Virginia Vogts, Columbus
Reference to homicide rates insensitive to victims
Words matter. The Guinness World Book of Records is filled with accounts of people who have accomplished amazing feats. When The Dispatch (“Intervening to prevent violence worth a try,” Wednesday editorial) and other media outlets make statements like, “Odds are good that the city will surpass the record of 143 homicides set in 2017,” it is insensitive to both the victims and their families. Not one of the victims is trying to be a statistic to be part of a news story.
Could The Dispatch show some compassion to the victims and their family by instead saying “Odds are good that the city will surpass the 143 homicides committed in 2017”?
Gary L. Sigrist Jr., chief executive officer and president, Safeguard Risk Solutions, Grove City