The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has extended the ban on evictions through June 30, a measure that ensures people who cannot afford rent due to COVID-19 restrictions can remain in their homes.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a historic threat to the nation’s public health,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said Monday. “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.”
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The eviction moratorium, first implemented by the Trump administration last September, was set to expire on Wednesday. Its aim was to prevent people who have suffered financially from resorting to living in congregate settings such as homeless shelters, where COVID-19 can spread more easily from person to person.
The income cap for renters who qualify for coverage under the ban is $99,000, or $198,000 if a couple files taxes together. The renter must also offer “a completed and signed copy of a declaration” to their landlord that they are unable to pay their rent, and eviction could result in their becoming homeless.
“People experiencing homelessness often have underlying conditions that increase their risk of severe outcomes of COVID-19,” the CDC said. “Among patients with COVID-19, homelessness has been associated with increased likelihood of hospitalization.”
Dozens of property owners have taken legal action in state and local courts against the eviction ban since last fall, arguing that the order did not offer landlords any recourse for dealing with the financial strain of maintaining properties without rent payments. A Texas judge sided with landlords in one such case, ruling in February that the CDC order was unconstitutional.
“The federal government cannot say that it has ever before invoked its power over interstate commerce to impose a residential eviction moratorium,” Judge John Barker, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, wrote in his ruling. “The federal government has not claimed such a power at any point during our nation’s history until last year.”
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The Biden administration added Monday morning in a separate statement that federal agencies are collaborating “to get tenants and landlords the assistance they need during the public health crisis.”
