(CNN) After the Supreme Court struck down the CDC’s eviction moratorium, several states like New York and Illinois and some parts of California announced plans to extend the ban.
This is after only a small portion of the billions of dollars in federal housing assistance has reached those who need it most.
President & CEO, National Low Income Housing Coalition Diane Yentel said, “It was the last remaining protection that was keeping many of these families stay stably housed during the global health emergency.”
The National Low Income Housing Coalition said currently, there are roughly 6.5 million households behind on rent after losing jobs, work hours and wages during the pandemic.
Yentel said, “There are estimates that about 40% of renters are currently protected by state or city-wide eviction moratoriums.”
But now, that safety net is disappearing for millions of tenants like Kristina Toscano who applied for assistance and fears the worst. She said, “Being evicted with my child and not having anywhere to go. I just think about my son, like what am I going to tell him?”
The National Low Income Housing Coalition said only about $10 billion of the $45 billion in aid allocated by Congress has gone out to people in danger of losing the roofs over their heads.
Housing advocates say more needs to be done federally but also, on the state and local level.
Yentel said, “Governors and mayors should implement or extend eviction moratoriums at least until all the emergency rental assistance reaches the tenants and landlords who need it.”
Housing advocates say the hundreds of programs charged with giving out federal assistance have made the applications too complicated and complex, slowing down the process and weeding out some of the lowest income and most marginalized people who need the assistance the most.
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