By Noah Crenshaw and Leeann Doerflein | Daily Journal
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With uncertainty hanging over a federal ban on evictions, local agencies are stepping up to provide assistance to Johnson County residents.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put an eviction moratorium in place 11 months ago, and has extended it several times since then. In June, however, The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision it could not be extended beyond July 31, and any additional extensions would require congressional authorization.
Last week, the White House asked Congress to act to extend the moratorium, and Congress called on the White House to do the same thing. The White House said it lacked authority to do so.
On Tuesday, the CDC issued a new temporary eviction moratorium, that specifically covers counties experiencing “substantial” or “high” levels of coronavirus transmission, including the more transmissible Delta variant. The new order will expire Oct. 3, and is expected to face legal challenges.
Since the coronavirus pandemic was declared in March 2020, more than 53,000 evictions have been filed in Indiana, according to data from Eviction Lab, a nonprofit that tracks evictions across the United States.
At least 85 evictions have been filed in Johnson County since July 4, according to Eviction Lab data.
Roughly 10% of Johnson County households, or 1,497 households, are behind on rent payments, based on data collected from June 23 to July 3 by Surgo Ventures, a nonprofit that has been tracking back rent and eviction data during the pandemic.
The total amount of back rent owed in Johnson County is more $4.6 million, with an estimated $3,133 owed per household, Surgo Ventures data shows.
The Franklin Township Trustee’s Office has not seen an increase in rental assistance requests since the first moratorium expired, said Lydia Wales, Franklin Township trustee. But the office has received at least seven calls this week.
“I was shocked we didn’t get bombarded with calls,” Wales said.
In a typical year, the office would receive an influx of calls at the beginning of the year, then again when kids go back to school. However, due to the pandemic, everything is off.
The office is referring people to the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority’s rental assistance program, which opened March 2. The program requires people to prove they have a coronavirus-related need, she said.
“I encourage everyone to apply because all they can say is no,” Wales said.
The Trustee’s Office is still setting up appointments with people to talk about their needs, and the office can help with emergency needs first if people are about to be kicked out of their homes. Everyone is still required to apply for IHCDA help in the future, she said.
Wales encourages renters to talk to their landlords. If people try to talk to landlords, the landlords might be more lenient if they try to negotiate for more time to pay rent. If landlords do reach out to the office about their renter’s IHCDA application, the office can tell them the status, she said.
Employees at the office have also been helping the state agency process rental assistance applications from across the state. Franklin Township employees have processed more than 800 applications so far, and the township receives a payment for each application processed, Wales said.
The employees have seen people who owe various amounts of back rent due to the moratorium. Some owe $10,000-$15,000. Others owe as much as $30,000, she said.
“It is sad because there are programs out there to help you,” Wales said. “Don’t just do nothing.”
There are two sides to the issue. Both tenants and landlords are hurting because of the pandemic, she said.
The United Way of Johnson County is also providing assistance to area residents. The agency received at least four calls this week about potential evictions, and 16 since June 27, said Nancy Lohr Plake, United Way of Johnson County’s executive director.
The agency has also received 21 calls from people with housing needs, including six within the last week, according to United Way data.
People who need assistance should reach out early and provide documentation of their needs. The United Way wants to talk to people and help them before they get to the point of being evicted, Plake said.
“We are the entry point for economic assistance due to COVID-19,” she said.
People in need of assistance should call the United Way’s helpline at 317-736-4636. The United Way’s helpline is not a crisis line, it is an information line, so people need to contact them early and provide documentation, which will be verified, Plake said.
The program also has eligibility requirements, she said.
Those needing assistance have to be:
- A current Johnson County resident;
- A resident at the time of loss of job or income.
The job or income loss had to:
- Occur after March 1, 2020;
- Be the result of an employer closing or furloughing workers due to the coronavirus pandemic; or
- Be the result of a household wage earner dying from the coronavirus; or
- Be due to childcare issues resulting from the pandemic; or
- Be due to an individual or a household member being sickened with coronavirus.
People needing assistance must also agree to participate in case management and take part in their recovery process, according to the United Way.
