DETROIT – Millions of people who are behind on their rent payments may be forced to leave their homes after the Supreme Court struck down the Biden administration’s ban on evictions.
Local 4 spoke with a Metro Detroit woman who is worried she won’t have a place to live so she found resources for people impacted by the Supreme Court decision.
The current moratorium on evictions was imposed in early August and was due to expire in October. It was challenged by a group of landlords who argued that the CDC didn’t have the authority to impose such a restriction.
A 22-year-old Detroit resident spoke with Local 4 but didn’t want to be identified because she is in litigation with her landlord. She received an eviction notice in February but wasn’t kicked out because of the moratorium.
“I used the stimulus check to pay everything up front,” she said.
She said she recently started withholding her payments after her bathroom ceiling caved in.
“It’s not safe living there anymore and after that I don’t know, because I’ll eventually get a place by myself,” she said.
Last Thursday (Aug. 19), the Supreme Court blocked the CDC from enforcing the federal moratorium on evicting renters during the pandemic.
Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency’s Department Director Michael Centi said they are providing about triple the assistance that they were a month ago. It’s a nonprofit that helps renters and landlords.
With the moratorium ending, they’re urging people to apply for CERA, the COVID Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
“Just over this past month we’ve distributed $20 million in rental assistance for approximately 2,500 households in Wayne County,” Centi said. “A lot of people are about to be out in bad situations long term because they won’t be able to find something afterward.”
Landlords said they’re also struggling to pay mortgages and bills when some renters simply stopped paying because of the moratorium.
Wayne County’s 36th District Court said it will follow the Supreme Court’s ruling and will not implement its own eviction moratorium.
Click here to learn more about CERA.