Eviction filings are far above pre-pandemic levels in many cities across the country as pandemic relief disappears and inflation causes rents to spike. According to the latest data from the Eviction Lab, filings in some cities are running as much as 50% above levels seen prior to the pandemic.
The rental assistance program is administered statewide by the Department of Community Affairs, and it offers federal funds covering up to 18 months in rent and utility bills. The department has so far struggled to distribute its first allotment of federal funding despite what experts and advocates call a clear housing need.
By the end of September, only 9% of the initial $552 million from Georgia’s Department of Community Affairs-administered Georgia Rental Assistance Program went to renters and landlords, far below the 30% threshold set by the Treasury Department.
The U.S. Census Household Pulse survey shows that about 100,000 Georgians are among the 4.6 million Americans likely to face eviction or foreclosure within the next two months.
Hundreds of thousands of Georgians who lost income in the pandemic, falling behind on their rent payments and putting them at increased risk for eviction, just got another reprieve. After a previous CDC eviction ban expired earlier this week, the Biden administration has again frozen evictions, this time until early October. The new moratorium aims to cover renters in counties with “substantial” spread of the delta coronavirus variant. But for the state’s most vulnerable families living on the economic margins, the realities of finding and maintaining safe, affordable housing were much more complicated long before the pandemic hit.
Thursday on Political Rewind: State Republicans in the General Assembly are urging the governor to issue an order forbidding schools from imposing mask mandates for students and staff. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has answered critics within his own party who accused him of failing to take action as a moratorium on evictions expired late last week.
Tuesday on Political Rewind: Data from hospitals in key regions of Georgia make it clear: A fourth wave of COVID-19, another surge, has begun. Meanwhile, U.S. Senate candidate Gary Black isn’t waiting for Herschel Walker to declare his intentions about running for the senate. Black released an ad this week mocking Walker’s waiting game.
Monday on Political Rewind: Concern about the resurgence of COVID-19 in Georgia is growing as the summer break draws to a close. Meanwhile, congressional leaders in Washington, D.C. allowed the end of an federal eviction moratorium over the weekend.
A nationwide moratorium on evictions has been in effect during the pandemic as a public health measure imposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But that moratorium ends July 31. GPB’s Rickey Bevington speaks with expert Mike Carnathan about what this tsunami of evictions could mean.
The CDC extended the eviction moratorium through June 30, and once it ends Georgia courts are planning to accelerate the pace of cases moving through the system.
Judges in Texas are being told it's not their job to enforce a CDC order aimed at stopping evictions. Housing groups fear that a wave of unnecessary evictions will leave thousands homeless.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is extending an order preventing evictions. It was set to expire this week, which could have displaced staggering numbers of people from their homes.
Getting evicted during COVID can risk a person's health and doom their ability to find a home. The extension this week of a federal order preventing evictions could save many people from that fate.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention is moving to extend an order aimed at preventing evictions during the pandemic. Housing groups say the order could prevent up to 1 million evictions.
