Workers across the state are losing income due to COVID-19. Some are self-quarantining, some are being told to stay home, some work for businesses that are struggling to attract customers, some work for businesses that have shut down. Freelancers, self-employed people, event workers, workers in the gig and informal economies, and more are all impacted. Because of income loss, people cannot afford their bills, including rent and utilities.

Thankfully, workers have temporary relief: because of court closings, no one will be evicted for now. No utility provider governed by Kentucky's Public Service Commission will be suspending utilities for nonpayment. These are steps in the right direction. But more action is needed.

These protections are temporary. They do not protect everyone. Bills are piling up, and workers are still struggling.

During this public health emergency, people need to remain stably housed in good conditions. We need to be able to wash our hands, cook our meals, refrigerate our food, heat our homes. We need to be confident that, if we must stay home from work for the health of ourselves and our loved ones, we will not lose our housing or utilities because of it.

Governor Beshear, we, the undersigned, call on you to issue an executive order accomplishing the following:

(1) Ensure that no one will ever be evicted, have their home foreclosed, or have utilities shut-off, neither now nor after the crisis has abated, due to non-payment that occurred during the State of Emergency. Require landlords, banks, and utility companies to accept partial payment, payment plans, and grant payment forgiveness to residents unable to pay during the State of Emergency, and require that landlords, banks, and utility companies never retaliate against residents for such situations.

(2) Enact a moratorium on all utility shut-offs that lasts the entire time Kentucky is in a State of Emergency.

(3) Enact a moratorium on foreclosures that lasts the entire time Kentucky is in a State of Emergency.

(4) Provide emergency assistance funds to people unable to pay rent, mortgages, or utility bills.

(5) Freeze all rent and utility prices at current levels until the end of the State of Emergency.

Taken together, these measures provide basic protections for residents during the COVID-19 outbreak. We need them to ensure our public health and personal stability.

Cosponsoring organizations:

Lexington Housing Justice Collective

Acap
Black Lives Matter Louisville
Broken Hearted Homes Tenant Association
Center For Neighborhoods
Civic Data Alliance
Fayette County Young Democrats
Food Not Bombs Lexington
Homeless and Housing Coalition of Kentucky
Justice Before Peace
Kentuckians for the Commonwealth
Kentucky Equal Justice Center
Kentucky Student Environmental Coalition
Lexington Democratic Socialists of America
Lexington Food Not Bombs
Louisville Democratic Socialists of America
Louisville Showing Up for Racial Justice
Metropolitan Housing Coalition
Mobile Mutual Aid
Mountain Association for Community Economic Development
NORML - Wildcat Chapter
Our Revolution Central Kentucky
Parents for Social Justice
Party for Socialism and Liberation Kentucky
Patchwork Cooperative Loan Fund
Planned Parenthood Advocates of Indiana and Kentucky
Reparations Roundtable
Root Cause Research Center
Satanic Louisville
SisterSong Kentucky
Sunrise Movement Bowling Green
WKU Queer Student Union
WKU Young Democratic Socialists of America