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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is extending the national eviction ban through June 30.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a historic threat to the nation’s public health,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, CDC Director, said. “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.”
The current eviction ban was scheduled to expire at the end of March and advocated warned of a spike in evictions without this extension.
According to a Census Bureau survey published in March, 20% of adult renters reported not paying the previous month’s rent. The number is 33% for Black renters.
“When you’re looking at an infectious disease like COVID-19, evictions can have an impact not only on the health of evicted families, but also on the health of the broader community,” Kathryn Leifheit, a postdoctoral fellow at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, said.
The CDC’s eviction ban applies to individuals who earn less than $99,000 a year and couples who make under $198,000. To qualify, renters also have to attest on a declaration to their landlord that they’re unable to afford their rent and that being evicted could result in them doubling up with others or becoming homeless.
