“Coronavirus – Oncoming Eviction Tidal Wave” by Ken Liu
“Homeless Jesus” sculpture by Timothy Schmalz, Barcelona, Spain, Author Canaan (CC BY-SA 4.0 International)
Below is a message from Ken Liu Esq., Legal Aid Director of the Christian Legal Society (CLS) https://www.christianlegalsociety.org/.
CLS members commit to seeking justice with the love of God. (For more about Christian legal aid see above.)
Ken addresses the affordable housing crisis in this country, and the large number of evictions predicted as a result of Covid-19. Please, pray for those impacted.
“As COVID-19 hit this spring and workers were let go by the millions across the country, the federal government and many state governments ordered moratoriums on evictions. All of these moratoriums have either recently expired or about to expire, at the same time that extra federal unemployment benefits are also ending. Even before the pandemic, 25% of all renters in the US were already overburdened, paying more than half their income in rent.
Some housing experts predict a tidal wave of evictions in the next few months, leading to massive homelessness. Many of those affected will be minorities and households led by women, both of whom historically are more likely to be evicted. Despite the federal moratorium that ended July 24, some landlords have raised rent, issued late fees, and initiated eviction proceedings earlier than the federal timeline, which requires 30 days notice for eviction.”
“The roots of our nation’s housing crisis is complex, and certainly landlords can’t shoulder all the blame. There are no easy answers, but Christian Legal Aid attorneys can help mitigate the problem by helping tenants from being unfairly evicted or taken advantage of by unscrupulous landlords. Though we can’t solve the problem for everyone, we can do our part.”
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A Lawyer's Prayers 
I’m worried that my youngest son may lose his home. He lost his job about 2 months ago, filed for unemployment, and still hasn’t even gotten the letter telling him if he has been approved. He has almost run through his savings, and will only be able to make one more mortgage payment. He is scared and depressed. He lives in Lancaster, PA. I keep praying for him. I don’t know what else to do.
Applications are being accepted through the end of this month for emergency mortgage assistance by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency. Income limits are county specific. Your son can find more info here: https://pmap.phfa.org.
Has he contacted his lender, Linda? Some banks are willing to defer mortgage payments voluntarily, in the recognition that most homeowners will eventually be able to return to work and resume payment.
The two Christian legal aid clinics in Pennsylvania are located in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. He might try calling to see whether they could give him a referral closer to home. The Philadelphia clinic https://www.clcphila.org/ is the one w/ which I am familiar. Their number is 215-399-0064.
I hope this helps. May God watch over him.
Thank you So Much. I felt like the Lord was directing me to write that comment. Praise God!
This pandemic has created a national crisis on so many fronts that one is simply unable to fathom the complexity of it.
When I first heard about the moratorium on evictions I thought, wow, what a great idea! People can focus solely on getting their lives back in order without the fear of eviction. Then it occurred to me, what about the landlord who now receives no rent money? How does he put his life back together? How does he pay the mortgage on his rental properties with no money coming in? Is he supposed to somehow make his way because he’s the “rich landlord”? This is not a win win for anyone, let alone everyone.
Of course, the poor will suffer the most because the poor are always the most vulnerable when economic fluctuations threaten to upset the stability of a society. We can only pray that there are sufficient safeguards in place to protect as many as possible. My honest opinion is no, there are not nearly enough safeguards in place, which virtually guarantees the suffering of our most vulnerable will increase exponentially.
Compounding all of this is the fact that the government does not have the resources necessary to effectively combat all of the issues. When you consider the trillions of dollars in lost wages due to this pandemic, then couple that with the corresponding loss of tax revenue, where is the money to come from that so many are in desperate need of?
We recently added three trillion dollars to the national debt, taking it to 26.7 trillion dollars as of 8/31/20. Most of us do not understand such a number, yet still we clamor for more goods, more services, more assistance. This is unsustainable by anyone’s calculations. It is also a guarantee that this nation will descend into bankruptcy. When that happens where will help and assistance come from?
As I said, the complexity of the issues this nation faces are unfathomable, and the poor will suffer the worst of it. To say “God help us and have mercy upon us” seems inadequate on so many levels.
Hindsight being what it is, I cannot help but wonder how much better off we would be in battling such a catastrophe had we not abandoned the God of our fathers.
Once again Anna, your posts are thought provoking, and challenge all of us to search our hearts for answers.
Only God has those answers, Ron. I certainly do not. May He keep you in His care, my friend.