We are in the middle of a public health catastrophe, during which everyone’s sole focus should be protecting themselves and their communities. But instead, many are worrying how they will pay rent on April 1st.

Governor Pritzker recently ordered all bars and restaurants to be closed for dine-in until March 30, leaving hundreds of thousands of workers in the Chicago area financially uncertain. Many more Chicagoans face layoffs and loss of income as workplaces around the country shutter to limit the virus’ spread. In a city where 51% of households are rent-burdened, one missed paycheck can mean a choice between groceries or rent, with a looming potential for homelessness.

Officials have taken measures but many points of vulnerability for both working class people and public health remain. Recently, the Circuit Court of Cook County has announced plans to drastically scale back operations for 30 days, postponing all orders for eviction or foreclosure. This is a crucial step to ensure renters and homeowners are not put out of their homes during a pandemic, but it is not enough to truly slow the spread of the virus and minimize the harm it is causing to our daily lives. The fact that “civil lawsuits may still be filed in person or via electronic filing,” means landlords will still file for evictions during this crisis.

The Cook County Sheriff has also announced a 30 day moratorium on executing evictions, but may still be serving eviction notices on behalf of the court. While court proceedings may be delayed, simply having your name appear in an eviction filing can drastically hurt your chances of finding new housing.

If tenants know that missing rent could result in eviction proceedings, they’ll be more likely to go to work with symptoms and risk spreading the virus. Moreover, tenants forced to move face a higher risk of spreading and/or contracting the virus, along with difficulty securing new housing, renting moving trucks, hiring movers, or finding volunteers to help. It is our responsibility to protect each other. The only way to slow the virus’ spread is to assure people that they will not be penalized for playing it safe.

As such, we are calling for an indefinite freeze on collection of all rent, mortgage, and utility payments throughout the duration of the crisis.

The freeze must operate as a waiver of payments, not a deferral in which people will find themselves saddled by debt after the crisis.

In addition to this principal demand, we demand that:

1. The Circuit Court close court filings for evictions and foreclosures, both in person and online.

2. The Circuit Court postpone all eviction and foreclosure related litigation.

3. The city move to house houseless residents in unoccupied buildings, hotels, and other unused living spaces.

4. Landlords grant automatic lease extensions for tenants unable to move during the crisis.

5. All of the above actions must be taken not for just 30 days, but indefinitely through the duration of the crisis. They should be in place at least as long as a risk to public health remains. Stable housing is an crucial necessity for individual and public health, especially during a crisis like this.

We must all do our best to limit the spread of this virus by avoiding large gatherings, reducing social contact and taking every precaution necessary. Government agencies have not acted honestly and effectively to prevent the pandemic from reaching its current point, and now the most vulnerable members of our society stand to pay for it unless drastic action is taken.