Important news about the eviction moratorium from the Legal Aid Society

Happy Friday!

 

On Tuesday  (May 26th) the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors extended the current eviction moratorium until the end of June.

 

If the moratorium is lifted then, many of our low-income residents will be evicted as they have not been able to work and save money for rent.

 

A wide coalition of legal and community groups are advocating for the following:

1. Extending the moratorium further past the state of emergency period.
2. Extending the repayment period to grant affected tenants an opportunity to regain their financial footing and meet their obligations.
3. Protecting  families from eviction by requiring landlords to collect any unpaid rent from this period through consumer debt actions ONLY. (this would allow landlords to collect owed rent money but not evict people).
4. Protect public health by preserving the ability to shelter at home.

 

We want to make the points that: (a) the pandemic poses a significant health risk to people experiencing homelessness, and (b) even when an eviction does not result in homelessness, evicted tenants face greater difficulty accessing safe and healthy housing because of the dearth of affordable housing options, leading the County’s low-income tenants acquiescing to overcrowded living situations. Both these densely-populated, congregate settings reduce the ability to take preventative measures against COVID-19.

 

You all are the perfect people to make these points! As healthcare professionals, school leaders and community leaders- you are in the perfect positions to explain why mass evictions in July and August would be dangerous and extremely detrimental to all residents of San Mateo County.  I hope you are able to write an email to advocate for the community that you all work so hard to support!