‘I have no idea what to do’
Millions face eviction after Christmas
Before the pandemic hit, single mother Alora Manny was working third shift at an Amazon fulfillment center in Phoenix. Though she had a two-hour commute by bus, she was able to support her three children and pay the $1,248 in monthly rent for her one-bedroom apartment near downtown.
Manny, 31, loved her job and earned $1,200 to $1,500 per week, often picking up extra hours. But when Phoenix implemented passenger limits on public transportation to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Manny’s two-hour commute turned into a four-hour journey some days. She would wait at the bus stop, only to watch the shuttles drive past her because they were at capacity. After arriving late to work a fifth time, Manny lost her job.
She fell behind on bills and was unable to pay rent in August. Desperate for help, Manny reached out to social services organizations that told her not to panic because a nationwide moratorium on evictions would serve as a lifeline. She submitted a sworn affidavit stating she had lost her income and presented it to her landlord. Yet in September, deputies were at her door. They said: “You have to go.”
“I kept getting eviction notices on my door,” Manny told me. “I filled out all of my paperwork. I did what I was told to do. To end up homeless is so devastating; I’ve never been in this situation. I really wasn’t even given a chance.”
Manny and her children, Amelia, 13, Audrina, 12, and Robert Jr., 3, are now bouncing around from cheap motels to friends’ couches because emergency shelters are overflowing. They are trying to survive on her unemployment benefits: $218 per week.
Millions of Americans like Manny are falling through the cracks during this pandemic-induced financial and housing crisis. And we haven’t seen the worst of it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s eviction moratorium, which went into effect in September, protects renters who have been unable to meet their monthly payments from being tossed on the street. It is set to expire Dec. 31.
Falling further behind
An estimated 12.4 million adult renters say they are behind on payments, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau survey. And nearly 83 million adults report they are finding it somewhat difficult or very difficult to cover their household expenses such as food, rent or mortgages and car payments.
All told, an estimated 30 to 40 million Americans could be at risk of residential eviction because they are unable to pay rent, according to an analysis by the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan think tank.
Eviction moratoriums are not enough, though Congress must push to extend the CDC’s beyond the end of the year. The wealth gap is quickly becoming a chasm as Americans continue to die by the thousands even as the stock market reaches new heights. Any new coronavirus rescue package must include accessible emergency rental assistance and a uniform, enforceable eviction ban that will remain in effect until a high percentage of the population is vaccinated and the transmission of the virus slows.
“I don’t know how I’m going to get through this,” Manny said. “I have no idea what to do.”
Struggling to make ends meet
Americans with the lowest-income households — low-wage and essential workers — also tend to be people of color. They have already been ravaged by COVID-19, experiencing higher infection and death rates. Women and communities of color also are disproportionately more likely to owe back rent, according to Census data, including about 29% of Black and 26% of Latino renters.
Many landlords are suffering, too. We often envision monolith corporations charging thousands of dollars for efficiency apartments around the country as the enemy. In reality, a good number of rental properties are singlefamily homes, often owned by momand-pop landlords. Mortgages and property taxes still need to be paid, as does maintenance and sometimes utilities. As Congress continues its downto-the-wire negotiations, landlord financial assistance should also be on the table.
Some states and legal aid providers, including Texas and New York, have launched online portals to help residents understand the eviction process and inform them of their rights. Other organizations have turned to social media to reach as many people as possible during this housing crisis.
Hannah Adams, a staff attorney for Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, which represents tenants during evictions in 22 parishes across the New Orleans area, held a virtual session on Facebook for those seeking information. As I watched, I couldn’t help but cry. Is this really where we are as a country?
“People are really, really struggling right now,” Adams said during the live broadcast. “I know many, many people who are getting 100 bucks a week from unemployment right now and that’s it. So obviously that is not enough to live on, let alone pay rent, and unfortunately it doesn’t appear that this pandemic is ending anytime soon.”
Few people could have anticipated the tremendous financial fallout spurred by COVID-19. But as it continues to cripple tens of millions of Americans, Congress must step up. In our lifetimes, we have never experienced an economic and public health crisis like this one. A wave of homelessness like we’ve never seen is imminent.
America is failing its people. It doesn’t have to be this way.