{"id":16978,"date":"2021-06-16T09:00:30","date_gmt":"2021-06-16T13:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=16978"},"modified":"2022-10-09T06:19:20","modified_gmt":"2022-10-09T10:19:20","slug":"extend-the-eviction-moratorium-to-prevent-millions-from-becoming-homeless","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/extend-the-eviction-moratorium-to-prevent-millions-from-becoming-homeless\/","title":{"rendered":"Extend the Eviction Moratorium to Prevent Millions from Becoming Homeless"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Let’s Talk Rent Relief: 6-8 Million Households Still Behind on Rent, but Down from Last Year’s 40 Million<\/h2>\n

After last year’s hot mess of a season, summer has finally circled back ’round.<\/p>\n

For many, brighter days seem to be ahead, as the number of renters at risk for eviction has dramatically dropped from the initial 40 million (projected at the height of the pandemic crisis) to somewhere between 6 and 8 million today.<\/p>\n

This is roughly an 80% decline in under one year, a feat that is unheard of, perhaps even celebratory. But before we break out the fancy dinner dishes and balloons, it’s important to point out that upwards of 8 million renters are still at risk for falling into the horrors of homelessness, and that number is equally astronomical.<\/p>\n

Rent Relief, Stimulus Payments, and Moratoriums: Ways in Which American Renters Narrowly Escaped An Avalanche of Evictions<\/h3>\n

While commentators attribute the bulk of the success in eviction prevention to the moratorium in place, the fact that there has been an 80% decline in the number of renters in financial default suggests that other safety nets have played a part as well.<\/p>\n

The US Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey showed<\/a> that 25.5% of stimulus payment recipients spent their payout on rent. This number hovers quite a few percentage points above the 19% who doled out their funds toward their mortgages.<\/p>\n

For the most part, the hefty $46 billion+ rent relief package is helping the nominal number of people it reaches. This is an excellent example of success in strategy and failure in implementation.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

There are reports that as of March, some state governments had not yet opened funding to the public. In many other states, the number of renters receiving rent relief is abysmally low.<\/p>\n

Various reasons for the delay in distribution have been cited. Those most commonly mentioned include:<\/p>\n