Evictions are more common than we think, and they can be devastating for individuals and families. In the short term families lose their homes. In the long term they face destroyed credit, health problems, and a loss of self-respect.
Because of COVID-19, Congress passed the CARES Act in March. One of the provisions was a moratorium on evictions. Renters still owed rent, but they could not be charged late fees or evicted. This moratorium expires July 24; then landlords must give 30 days’ notice for evictions for not paying rent. Economists are predicting that millions of Americans will be evicted in August and September, as much as 20% of all renters in the United States.
Even before COVID-19 struck, we were facing an eviction epidemic. Until the 1970’s a (non-minority) family with one wage earner could live comfortably in a single family home. At most, a family would spend 30% on housing costs, including mortgage payments and utilities. In the late 70’s and continuing through today, housing costs skyrocketed. Now most families spend more than half their income to pay mortgages, rent, utilities – the costs of keeping a roof over their heads. In large cities this expense can be 80-90%.
Why do people get evicted? Most evictions happen because renters cannot or do not pay their rent. Landlords can evict renters for a number of other reasons, too, including taking on boarders, damaging property, causing a disturbance, or breaking the law.
One of the things we fail to realize is that most evictions will be households with children; that young families will become homeless. Households with children were the most likely to lose income. Millions lost their jobs when businesses shut down and unemployment surged. With schools and day care centers closed, many more parents had to stay home to provide child care.
Evictions and homelessness can cascade into a host of other problems, and these have been well documented for decades. Unemployment (already a huge problem in the United States), and difficulty getting another job. Health issues, especially respiratory disease and depression. Loss of some government services.
For children this is especially severe, because they think they are the cause of their family’s problems. They’ve lost the security of having a home. There are new tensions in their family. They may well be uprooted from their schools and friends. Homelessness is an adverse childhood experience, which means it is so devastating that it results in long-term health and chronic problems for children well into adulthood.
Families regularly lose their possessions, too, which are piled on the sidewalk or placed in storage. They have to pay any rental fees to reclaim their property, another cost they cannot afford. Often, once evicted, families stay with friends or relatives who do not have the room to store additional belongings. So, families’ troubles are compounded with having to replace their household belongings when they are rehoused.
Once an eviction action is filed, it is a permanent public court record. This record cannot be expunged. Landlords often do background checks when someone fills out an application to be a tenant. Some landlords will not rent to people against whom an eviction action has been filed, even when the defendant wins or the case is dropped.
If you are evicted, you will likely lose any housing subsidy your family receives. This means if you have a Section 8 voucher, you will probably lose it and will not be able to get Section 8 assistance at your new apartment. If you have a Section 8 voucher and are behind on rent or having issues with the landlord, see if you can work something out with your landlord to avoid an eviction. If you are evicted from a rent-subsidized property, where the subsidy is connected to the apartment, you may not be able to receive rental assistance again for several years. Box Butte County has several families in both Section 8 housing and rent-subsidized housing.
Another barrier in finding a new place to live is the amount a family needs for deposits. Most private landlords want a damage deposit, and some require first and last months rent up front. Utility companies will demand deposits if you don’t have a history of paying their bills on time. A move to a new home might cost a family a few thousand dollars.
One of the most urgent issues facing the United States right now is the eviction crisis. Because of the devastating consequences of evictions and homelessness, America must find a way to deal with the immediate problem. We also have to develop a long-term plan for having affordable housing. Our great, wealthy nation should not have millions living on the streets.