Biden administration extends residential eviction ban until end of July
The Biden administration on Thursday said it was extending the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) COVID-19 residential eviction moratorium until July 31 but said it would not grant further extensions.
Reuters first reported the expected one-month extension on Tuesday. The national ban on residential evictions was first implemented last September and was extended in March until June 30. On Thursday, the CDC confirmed it was extending it to July 31, saying in a statement “this is intended to be the final extension of the moratorium.”
It added “the COVID-19 pandemic has presented a historic threat to the nation’s public health. Keeping people in their homes and out of crowded or congregate settings — like homeless shelters — by preventing evictions is a key step in helping to stop the spread of COVID-19.”
The White House said it was taking other steps to try to assist struggling renters and homeowners.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has also extended the foreclosure moratorium for mortgages backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac until July 31.
The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday urged state courts to adopt strategies that will prevent families who are struggling to pay rent from being evicted from their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vanita Gupta, the Justice Department’s No. 3 official, wrote in a letter to state court administrators that local courts can take steps on their own to help tenants while still protecting landlords’ rights.
The Treasury Department told states that they can use federal funds to help avoid evictions through diversion plans, which emphasize housing stability services and emergency rental assistance.
“Eviction diversion strategies like these encourage landlords and tenants to resolve disputes without formal adjudication and increase the chance that tenants can stay in their homes,” Gupta wrote.
The White House will hold a summit on immediate eviction prevention plans attended by members of the American Bar Association and Legal Services Corporation “to develop community-specific solutions to provide vulnerable families access to counsel, divert evictions, and connect renters and landlords to available resources.”
News.Az
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