What the Evictions Moratorium Ending means for tenants

The Federal Protections keeping landlords from evicting tenants is coming to an end on July 31st. We talked with Cynthia Zwick, the Executive Director of Wildfire about it.

Zwick talks about the moratorium being extended. She said it made a huge difference. She believes thousands of people were served in the time frame.

We ask if this moratorium was extended. She said no, and that they had heard it would be the last one. She said they are always hopeful that it will change, but she does not think it will.

We talked about what that means for Arizona and Arizona renters. It has the potential to create a homeless crisis in the state, she said. She said three will be families that lose their homes.

It may not happen immediately, but it will begin the process, she said. She said there is still a considerable amount of money available to help people. She said anyone who is facing a possible eviction should reach out.

Zwick said, not everyone is in the same timeframe for the eviction process, so it is important to consider that.

One constant is that it is very difficult to get people to apply for the money that is just sitting there. There is also just a lot of people that are not aware of the program.

Ther are income requirements that need to be met, COVID impact requirements, unemployment requirements to be considered, and the engagement of a landlord. All of the documentation has to be provided, she said.

When it has been submitted, then a caseworker reviews the case to determine if they are eligible and meets the qualification. Then they calculate what the benefits are going to be, Zwick said.

She explains that the program is complicated and takes a while to get through. She explains it is not as simple as getting your paperwork in. She said it takes a while to get through.