State leaders must begin making hard, painful decisions in the coming weeks on state spending during a pandemic-induced recession, including where to direct millions of dollars in still unspent federal COVID-19 relief aid.
Near the top of that growing list is averting a looming eviction crisis that Courtney Nicolato, CEO of the United Way of Rhode Island, in this week’s cover story said could become a “tsunami.” She and other housing advocates say the state’s efforts so far to help both renters and landlords fall far short of what will likely be needed in Rhode Island.
A National Low Income Housing Coalition report says more than 100,000 people in the state are in danger of eviction due to the pandemic. And many landlords are in financial trouble too, due to unpaid rent during a nearly three-month moratorium on new eviction cases that ended in June.
The state last month partnered with the United Way on a Safe Harbor Housing program to help renters in danger of eviction to work out payment plans with landlords. It’s the right idea but woefully underfunded at $7 million from the state’s $1.25 billion share of federal COVID-19-related aid.
At a June legislative hearing on the state’s plans for that federal funding, no additional eviction-related assistance was identified.
Hopefully, additional federal aid will come to help plug state budget gaps and other growing community needs such as housing. But state leaders must do more now to begin heading off an eviction crisis before it engulfs thousands of renters and landlords alike.