Last month, GOPC wrote about expiring moratoriums in municipal courts and threats faced by renters in the midst of an economic and health crisis. Since then, municipal courts have continued to open back up to hear civil cases while the federal and state government of Ohio have yet to establish a rental assistance program to ensure Ohioans not lose their homes during the pandemic.
That being said, cities and local governments across the state are stepping up to prevent a wave of evictions as moratoriums are lifted and supplemental unemployment benefits are set to expire in July. Columbus and Toledo are among the entitlement communities in the state that have leveraged federal funding from the CARES Act to support emergency rent assistance for residents affected by the pandemic, while some cities are moving to offer resources for tenants to navigate an eviction hearing fairly, like Hamilton County’s one-stop Eviction Help Center or Dayton’s new late fee and receipts legislation. Nonprofit organizations in Cleveland and Akron are helping connect struggling tenants with cash assistance and legal representation. However, housing advocates across the nation are wary of mass evictions on the horizon, and as nearly half of low-income renters report little or no confidence in their ability to pay rent next month, needs for rental assistance across the state may exceed the capacity of local programs.
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that more than 1.25 million Ohio renters have experienced a loss of income since the start of the pandemic, including layoffs, pay cuts, and furloughs. On top of that, nearly 1.3 million Ohioans have filed jobless claims in the past 11 weeks. A broad coalition of businesses, nonprofit, healthcare, and local government organizations have made the ask to state officials to leverage federal funding for rent assistance. GOPC and members of Ohio Affordable Housing Learning Exchange have joined COHHIO in asking Gov. DeWine to invest $100 million in federal Coronavirus Relief Funds for emergency rental assistance.
Emergency rental assistance is critical for stabilizing both Ohio’s tenants and landlords, who rely on payments to pay their employees, mortgages, taxes, and property maintenance costs. These funds will keep Ohio’s tenants and rental market healthy during this public health crisis. For more information, see GOPC’s COVID-19 Rent Assistance Page and follow COHHIO for up-to-date information.