SELF, eviction courts and landlords help tenants access $ 11.4 million in federal COVID rent relief
The moratorium on evictions has been a moving target since its establishment in March 2020 as part of the federal CARES law, deadlines to end the ban have continued to advance, but the country’s highest court has had the final say .
Diver said evictions are once again a threat with increased non-payment requests for help. They received 100 more requests in August than in July, going from 265 to 360 and already in September they are at 284.
“We have certainly seen an increase in requests,” said Diver. “Certainly, the uncertainty of the moratorium on evictions has led to an increase in the number of people requesting rental assistance.”
Since the High Court ruled on August 26, a total of 206 evictions have been filed in county municipal courts. Middletown City Court administrator Steve Longworth told the Journal-News between August 26 and September 20 that they had 80 eviction requests compared to 90 last year and 132 before the pandemic in 2019.
Regional court clerk Debbie Bolser said they had received eviction requests throughout the moratorium, so they continued to continue with hearings as cases could not be closed during the ban.
The moratorium appears to have had the desired effect, there were a total of 2,540 depots across the county this year and 3,446 last year compared to 5,160 in 2019. Tenants can be evicted for a multitude of reasons, not just non-payment.
Diver has people stationed in the courts of Hamilton and Middletown – he is not staffed for all the courts – to help qualified tenants apply for money. Leaflets with information about the funds are also included with eviction notices now.
SELF can be reached through their website at selfhelps.org or 513-868-9300.
Eric Vincent, president of the Butler County Real Estate Investors Association, said it is costly for landlords to evict their tenants with repainting, repairs and other work needed to prepare a home for re-let.
“I don’t want to deport anyone because it costs money to deport. I know there is this idea that eviction is the way housing providers make money, it’s not… ”he said. “It takes a lot of money to deport someone, not to mention the cost of your time to go to court, and their time as well. “
He added that now was not the time either, as many tenants were unable to work due to the government-ordered closure, so they should not be punished. His organization hosted a seminar for homeowners and tenants last spring, teaching them how to get help and they plan to do it again in November.
There are restrictions on relief, beneficiaries must be able to demonstrate that their inability to pay their rent is due to COVID-19. Qualifying tenants must earn less than 80% of the area’s median income, which equates to incomes of around $ 45,000 for a family of two.
County commissioners also wanted reassurance that landlords won’t evict people once they get their money or raise their rent; they wanted to use the county wrap programs to help people get back on their feet, and they want to make sure people understand that this is short term help.
