Yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control took a crucial step toward ensuring Americans don’t lose their homes during the worst pandemic and economic downturn in a century by enacting a federal moratorium on evictions. A nationwide, uniform evictions moratorium for nonpayment of rent is crucial to avoiding massive housing instability. Minnesota Housing Partnership urges Congress and the White House to take the next step and pass rental assistance to ensure Minnesota families aren’t burdened by crushing debt when the moratorium expires on December 31.

The following statement can be attributed to Anne Mavity, executive director of Minnesota Housing Partnership: 

This eviction moratorium is essential to ensure that Minnesota and our country does not experience mass disruptions in housing due to the economic conditions sparked by COVID19.  But it’s only half of the solution to what is needed.  Rent still needs to be paid, and without ongoing rental assistance, families will have their rents accumulate and it will simply delay the eviction cliff, not solve it.  

Minnesota has allocated $100 million toward paying the rent and helping low income homeowners with their housing costs to avoid housing displacement and homelessness. This ensures that housing providers continue to have rental revenue to pay their costs, and that low income families don’t have housing debts accruing. 

We are facing unprecedented challenges ahead. Rental assistance and this eviction moratorium must go hand-in-hand to support housing stability as we weather these economic challenges in Minnesota.