7/27/2021
Although we are certainly not in the clear as far as the COVID-19 pandemic is concerned, we have reached a critical point in determining what the future will look like moving forward. Long before the current pandemic, many were already enduring the wide-spread crisis that lack of affordable housing creates. Last year when the pandemic brought the travel industry to a crawl, we saw record breaking numbers in unemployment. In order to prevent a tidal wave of evictions, a moratorium was put into place. Since then, several extensions have been made as different assistance programs were rolled out to aid struggling households. Now that more people have returned to work, and vaccinations are widely available, it has been established that there will be no further extensions and August 6th will be the last day of the eviction moratorium.
Many families who were struggling before the pandemic, had their economic circumstance worsen over the past year and are now facing the threat of eviction. Although measures like Act 57 have been put into place to encourage property owners and tenants to determine a resolution outside of court, many families who are over four month past due on rent will be faced with trying to find alternative housing. This will be especially difficult because it further increases the demand of affordable housing on an already limited supply. There are however, several programs and resources available to renters facing the possibility of eviction. For information on mediation and other resources please explore the following links: