U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut has introduced a bill that would track evictions in a national database amid the pandemic. Tracking the data would offer lawmakers critical information about where to direct resources.
“This bill is so critically important so we have the data about what the best policy solutions are, where resources should be going, and paired with all the other housing solutions in the HEROES Act, that’s really the solution we need going forward so we can keep people in their homes,” said Sarah Saadian, vice president of public policy at the National Low Income Housing Coalition.
The legislation would also establish a committee to set policies based on the data.
DeLauro said the federal government also needs to quickly pass protective measures to prevent a “wave” of evictions across the country.
“It was true before the pandemic, and it is true now," DeLauro said. "There is no shame in being evicted, but now more than ever, it’s imperative that we keep people in their homes. We have the ability to prevent the wave.”
The federal eviction moratorium expired last week. Connecticut has extended an eviction moratorium until the end of August to protect renters who had been up to date on payments.
In New York, an eviction moratorium will expire August 20.
