In an effort to slow the spread of the pandemic, the CDC issued a national directive demanding a temporary ban on the eviction of renters who are in arrears until the end of the year. However, the directive will expire on December 31, and the new epidemic relief plan is still missing.
With the cold winter approaching, many tenants across the United States have been forcibly evicted and swept out of the house. Statistics also show that ethnic minorities such as African descent are twice as likely to be expelled as white tenants.
Eviction tenant Samantha: We can’t sit down and pack our bags.
Interviewer: Why are there so many garbage bags?
Eviction tenant Samantha: Yes, I had to rush my family’s things into garbage bags because they wanted to drive me away too much.
Samantha works for a post office in Pennsylvania. Since July this year, her job has been affected by the epidemic, and her salary has been reduced by more than half, so that she can’t make up the rent of $2,000 a month. On November 5, she and her two daughters were forcibly expelled from the house.
Eviction tenant Samantha: I have 900 dollars now. I can write a draft and pay it to you immediately, but they clearly told me, “We don’t want your money. You have to leave. You can move out within 15 minutes.” I begged them that I really had nowhere else to go.
There are many tenants like Samantha who have been forcibly evicted during the pandemic. Hayat Smith, a Latino single mother, has been unable to pay rent on time since August, due to the pandemic and economic impact. She is afraid that she and her children will soon be on the streets.
Tenant Hayat Smith: The thought of living on the street makes me particularly afraid. All I want is to have a place to live with my children.
John Ayers, a former insurance agent, who has to pay thousands of dollars a month for medical expenses and rent due to diseases such as arthritis and diabetes, lost his job during the pandemic and was also at risk of being eviction despite his otherwise well-earned.
Tenant John Ayers: I need help. This is the first time I say so. I really need help, or I will be homeless.
Some American media commented that the United States is facing the largest eviction crisis in history. According to the analysis data of ABC, minorities such as African descent and Latino face a more serious situation, and are twice as likely to be evicted as white tenants.
