Tell President Biden and Congress to STRENGTHEN THE EVICTION MORATORIUM AND CANCEL THE RENT!
President Joe Biden and the 117th Congress
As shown in our new report, various corporate landlords who have benefitted from taxpayer dollars in the form of COVID-related government assistance, state and local subsidies, and/or tax breaks, have continued to file evictions in the middle of a global pandemic. These corporate landlords include Ventron Management, Mid-America Apartment Communities, and Blackstone.
It is outrageous that taxpayer dollars are being used to subsidize evictions. Corporate landlords should put the safety and wellness of people before their own profits, stop evictions, and cancel rent.
In addition, President Biden and Congress must address the housing crisis. We call on President Biden to extend and strengthen the eviction moratorium.
The current moratorium, while essential, is not enough. First, there needs to be a moratorium for the full duration of the pandemic. Second, the moratorium needs to cover all evictions and apply to all aspects of the eviction process, including notices, filings, and hearings. Third, the moratorium should be automatically applied to everyone, instead of requiring tenants to sign a declaration, which creates barrier to accessing the protections.
In addition to an eviction moratorium, we also need rent and mortgage cancellation. With the worsening pandemic and continued unemployment, it is impossible for most tenants to pay the back rent owed. For a just recovery from the COVID-19 and economic crises, we need to cancel rents and mortgages for the duration of the pandemic for those experiencing COVID related hardships and ensure that our communities are not emerging from the pandemic with debt and fears of mass eviction.
Join us in calling on the Biden administration and Congress to strengthen the eviction moratorium and cancel rent and mortgages.
Sponsored by
To:
President Joe Biden and the 117th Congress
From:
[Your Name]
We are urging you to take swift action to protect our communities from being kicked out of their homes in the middle of a global health crisis. Being able to stay home is a life-or-death situation amidst COVID-19.
First, we call on President Biden to immediately enact a strengthened eviction moratorium that is universal and automatic, applies to all evictions and all aspects of the eviction process (including notices, filings, and hearings), for the full duration of the pandemic.
Second, we call on Congress to cancel rent and mortgages for the duration of the pandemic. Tenants across the country owe an estimated $70 billion in back rent because of the pandemic. Facing job loss, illness, and other hardships, it is impossible for many to pay thousands of dollars in accumulated rent. We need to cancel rents and mortgages to prevent a massive wave of evictions and work towards a just recovery from COVID-19 and the resulting economic crisis.
It is very concerning to us that corporate landlords who have benefitted from taxpayer dollars in the form of COVID-related government assistance, state and local subsidies, and/or tax breaks, have continued to file evictions in the middle of a global pandemic.
Public dollars must not be used to subsidize evictions and worsen the housing crisis. Instead, we urge you and Congress to take immediate action to support communities and address the vast economic inequality that has been exposed and exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis. The two demands outlined above are important steps towards this.