President Donald Trump’s administration is directing the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to is ban evictions of tenants who are unable to pay rent because of the coronavirus crisis through the end of the year.
According to the CDC’s agency order, the order would impose criminal penalties on landlords who violate the ban, and is being issued through the CDC’s public health powers.
“COVID-19 presents a historic threat to public health,” the order said. “To respond to this public health threat, the federal, state, and local governments have taken unprecedented or exceedingly rare actions, including border closures, restrictions on travel, stay-at-home orders, mask requirements, and eviction moratoria.
“Despite these best efforts, COVID-19 continues to spread and further action is needed.”
Trump’s order said moratoriums on evictions, “like quarantine, isolation, and social distancing, can be an effective public health measure utilized to prevent the spread of communicable disease.”
Eviction moratoriums “facilitate self-isolation by people who become ill or who are at risk for severe illness from COVID-19 due to an underlying medical condition,” the order said. “They also allow State and local authorities to more easily implement stay-at-home and social distancing directives to mitigate the community spread of COVID-19.
“Furthermore, housing stability helps protect public health because homelessness increases the likelihood of individuals moving into congregate settings, such as homeless shelters, which then puts individuals at higher risk to COVID-19,” the order said. “The ability of these settings to adhere to best practices, such as social distancing and other infection control measures, decreases as populations increase. Unsheltered homelessness also increases the risk that individuals will experience severe illness from COVID-19.”
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, according to Politico, told a House coronavirus subcommittee on Tuesday the action will affect up to 40 million renters. The earlier eviction ban, passed by Congress in March as part of a massive economic rescue package, applied to federally financed rental units and protected about a quarter of the nation’s tenants.
The new ban covers tenants who certify they have lost “substantial” income; expect to make no more than $99,000 in 2020 or received a stimulus check; and they are making their “best efforts” to pay as much of their rent as they can.
Housing advocates cheered the news while reiterating their call for future rental assistance after the end of the year.
Diane Yentel, the president of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, described the new eviction policy to The Washington Post as “long overdue and badly needed.”
But, she added: “This action delays but does not prevent evictions. Congress and the White House must get back to work on negotiations to enact a COVID-19 relief bill with at least $100 billion in emergency rental assistance.”
“We are disappointed the administration has chosen to enact a federal eviction moratorium without the existence of dedicated, long-term funding for rental and unemployment assistance,” said Doug Bibby, president of the National Multifamily Housing Council.
“An eviction moratorium will ultimately harm the very people it aims to help by making it impossible for housing providers, particularly small owners, to meet their financial obligations and continue to provide shelter to their residents,” Bibby said.
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