It’s May 1st - the rent is due and many Georgia families aren’t going to have the funds to pay it. They have nowhere to turn, and our state leadership is failing to act to prevent the coming wave of evictions and increased housing insecurity and chronic homelessness. Although a number of cities in our state have placed a moratorium on evictions - this isn’t enough. Rent hasn’t been canceled - it’s just been postponed.

In a recent policy scorecard released by the Eviction Lab, Georgia ranked among the worst in the nation in our response to preventing evictions and homelessness during and after the pandemic, with an abysmal score of .08 out of 5.0. Our state has done very little to protect residents experiencing insurmountable levels of debt because of the economic turmoil this crisis has caused. Without immediate action and supportive measures, our friends, families, and neighbors will face an unprecedented housing crisis in Georgia.

According to a recent Data for Progress report, 63 percent of voters strongly support suspending rent and mortgage payments, with an additional requirement for renters to eventually pay back rent/mortgage that they’ve accumulated. As the coronavirus pandemic continues to place thousands of Georgians in difficult economic situations - we need lawmakers to pursue the cancelation and forgiveness of rent for all tenants in Georgia. A clear majority of Americans are on their side.

It is clear that we need our state leaders to step up with more ambitious efforts to protect residents. In addition to suspending rent and mortgage payments for ALL Georgia residents, we are calling for the action on the following items that our state is currently failing on:

Initiation of Eviction:
✅No notice to quit - prevent landlords from giving notice of eviction to tenants
✅No eviction filings if tenant has COVID-19 hardship
✅No filing of eviction for tenants nonpayment of rent
✅No filing to evict tenants, unless for emergency reasons

Court Process
✅Suspend all eviction court hearings except for emergency cases (tenant engages in criminal activity or other lease violations that endanger the health of the community at large)
✅Stay of all eviction judgements
✅Toll or Extend court deadlines until September 1st.
✅Seal eviction case records

Enforcement of Eviction Order
✅No removal if tenant has COVID-19 hardship
✅No removal of tenant for nonpayment
✅No removal of tenant, except for in the case of emergencies.

Short-Term Supports
✅Moratorium that extends past emergency declaration
✅No utility disconnections
✅Free utility reconnections
✅Suspension or cancellation of rent and mortgage payments
✅Grace period to pay rent and/or backrent that accrues during the pandemic
✅No report to the credit bureau
✅Foreclosure moratorium

Tenancy Preservation Measures
✅No late fees
✅No rent raises
✅Housing stabilization, including tripling funding and vastly expanding eligibility for the Georgia Housing Choice Voucher Program (formerly known as Section 8)
✅Guarantee the right to legal counsel for tenants

Now is not the time for half-measures. Now is the time to protect our tenants and neighbors.

Signed,

Neighbors For More Neighbors Metro ATL