Washington, D.C. — Yesterday, the Supreme Court ended the federal moratorium on evictions, leaving millions of people vulnerable to losing their homes. In response, Jaboa Lake, a senior policy analyst at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:
The Supreme Court’s ruling will cut a lifeline for millions of tenants who have struggled to make ends meet during a pandemic that shows no signs of abating as the COVID-19 variants continue to spread. Without full briefing or oral arguments, the court blocked the Biden administration’s response to an unprecedented crisis facing renters, ending an eviction moratorium that was narrowly targeted to cover areas facing the highest impact from new cases. Ending the moratorium will only lead to greater spread of the variants and even more tragic deaths.
At this point, only about 10 percent of federal rental assistance funds have been distributed, with some counties not having distributed any funds at all. States and localities must disburse these funds much faster than they have been. Renters should not be punished and pushed into homelessness because of a slow process over which they have no control. Without further protections, the most vulnerable renters—including renters of color and those with disabilities—will continue to be disproportionately harmed by the mishandling of the pandemic response and premature lifting of much-needed protections. Keeping people in their homes, together with other public health measures, will reduce the spread of COVID-19 and help end this crisis more quickly.
For more information on this topic or to speak with an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at [email protected].