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Economy

‘Five-alarm fire’: Slow trickle of rental aid heightens concern about eviction crisis

Of the billions of dollars allotted by Congress for emergency relief, only $1.5 billion had been spent by the end of May, according to Treasury Department data

By
July 7, 2021 at 3:22 p.m. EDT
Protesters surround the Superior Court in Los Angeles in August, calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) to implement an eviction moratorium amid the pandemic. (Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)
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The White House, along with state and local governments, is under growing pressure to significantly ramp up the amount of emergency rental relief reaching tenants and landlords, as some economists and housing advocates say the Biden administration’s attention to the eviction crisis is coming too late.

Weeks before an eviction moratorium put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expires on July 31, much of the federal aid meant to help tenants and landlords has not reached them. Many are not even aware that the assistance is available, or they continue to struggle with onerous and complicated application rules. Some programs run by state and local governments took months to get up and running.