CLEVELAND — The start of August means the end of the CDC’s eviction moratorium. The orderhalted certain evictions nationwide beginning in September 2020 and received several extensions before running out at the end of July.
Estimates show anywhere from 3 million to more than 6 million households nationwide could now find themselves at risk of eviction.
Andrew Neuhauser serves as managing attorney for Community Legal Aid's Tenant Assistance Project and expects to see an uptick in cases coming soon as more landlords file eviction paperwork.
“People need to seek help now,” he said. “Time is always of the essence when it comes to rental assistance programs. They need to reach out to their local agency such as United Way and get that application going.”
Community Legal Aid Services hosts weekly online clinics every Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. where renters can learn their rights and about the eviction process and resources available to them. To apply for help directly, click here or call their helpline at 1-800-998-9454.
“The best case scenario and how this plays out is tenants are allowed to remain in their homes and apply for rental assistance and the process works its way through slowly with evictions going on so there isn’t a huge demand of people being evicted,” Neuhauser added. “The worst case scenario is a tremendous amount of people will be evicted in the coming days and weeks and we end up with a lot of homeless people during a time with the delta variant has shown even vaccinated individuals can transmit COVID-19.”
The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland provides legal information and resources for tenants. More information can be found here.
More information about CHN Housing Partners’ rental assistance program can be found here.
