Congresswoman Gwen Moore Fights for Support for Renters, Homeowner, and People Experiencing Homelessness Amid Rising Eviction Rates
Washington,
June 29, 2020
Congresswoman Gwen Moore Fights for Support for Renters, Homeowners, and People Experiencing Homelessness Amid Rising Eviction Rates Today, Congresswoman Moore voted for the Emergency Housing Protections and Relief Act of 2020, legislation that will extend the eviction and foreclosure moratorium and provide funding relief for homeowners, renters, and people experiencing homelessness. In response, she released the following statement: “Since Wisconsin’s ban on evictions expired on May 27th evictions are spiking, reportedly increasing by more than 40 percent in Milwaukee. And with the federal moratorium on evictions on federally financed housing scheduled to expire in less than a month, these numbers look to get worse even as our nation continues to grapple with COVID-19. Nationwide, some 21 million Americans, if not more, are unemployed. This is heartbreaking news for our city and our country. We are still battling COVID-19 in our communities and keeping a roof over one’s head should not be another issue someone has to worry about. In passing the CARES Act and instituting the moratorium at the end of March, we acted because we recognized that part of the COVID-19 fallout was in increase people unable to pay their rent, because they became sick and could not work, lost their job or had hours cut back by their employer. Today, we are responding in the House with a bill to provide relief, to ensure that housing insecurity does not lead to increased homelessness as Americans continue to struggle to get by. I cast my vote today to support extending the eviction moratorium to March 27, 2021, and expanding it to protect all renters. I am also proud of Democrat’s undertaking to provide $100 billion for an emergency rental assistance fund that would help renters cover their rent and utility bills, including any unpaid bills. This bill would also give $1 billion to for new Housing Choice Vouchers that would be targeted to people experiencing or at risk of homelessness and survivors of domestic violence. And acknowledging that so many people lack access to homes we are also calling for homeless assistance grants to help ensure that people experiencing homelessness are able to follow social distancing guidance and have access to necessary services. As the pain continues, so must the federal relief, I remain committed to ensuring that our policies match the growing and likely long-term impacts of this health and economic crisis.” Read the full text of the legislation here. |
