Covering coronavirus: The end of the eviction moratorium and pandemic aid

The pandemic is far from over but crucial COVID-19 protections and benefits are gone. When the Supreme Court struck down the CDC eviction moratorium in August, nearly six million renters — roughly 14% — were behind on rent, about one million faced the imminent threat of losing their homes, and landlords across the country were still waiting for federal rental assistance promised last spring. Some local or state moratoriums and assistance programs offer renters protection — for now. But in many states, evictions cases are jamming the courts and families are scrambling to find increasingly scarce affordable housing. The crisis is compounded by the expiration of expanded unemployment benefits, which kept some five and a half million people from falling into poverty during the pandemic.

This webinar explores the end of renter protections, unemployment benefits and other emergency relief, and what it means for the nation’s pandemic recovery and the health and well-being of low-income people, their families and their communities. Who are the tenants at greatest risk of eviction? Who’s pursuing cases most aggressively? Why isn’t aid getting to those who need it? And how can journalists best convey the desperate struggle of so many families as the social supports that kept them afloat have vanished? Panelists will share stories from the ground, explain the aid hurdles, discuss policy solutions and offer guidance on covering housing loss and economic insecurity in your community.

Panelists: 

• Peter Hepburn: Assistant professor of global urban studies and urban systems at Rutgers University
• Kriston Capps: Staff writer for Bloomberg CityLab in Washington, D.C.
• Tina Rosales: Attorney and advocate on the housing team of the Western Center on Poverty and Law