DC Council’s Proposed “Fix” Will Increase Rent Arrears and Evictions

We urge DC Council to vote no on the Emergency Rental Assistance Reform Emergency Act of 2024 to be voted on Tuesday, October 1. The bill is bad for tenants and landlords. If passed, it will increase evictions and housing insecurity and make it harder for tenants to pay, and landlords to collect, rent.

The Emergency Rental Assistance Reform Emergency Act of 2024 does not:

1. Help tenants pay rent.

2. Help landlords pay their mortgages or operating costs.

3. Remedy, or even acknowledge, the rising cost of living in D.C.-most critically that rents have increased 10.7% since 2019. (Not to mention that the global pandemic that occurred in 2020 made it harder for many middle- and low-income tenants to pay rising housing costs.)

4. Fix the delays in rental assistance payments caused by the Department of Human Services. DHS is taking months to issue checks after tenants are found eligible for assistance.

The Emergency Rental Assistance Reform Emergency Act of 2024 does:

1. Reduce the number of households who qualify for ERAP by narrowing the definition of "emergency," making it harder for struggling households to avoid eviction and stay in their homes. In fact, this change alone could remove the last safety net available to #KeepFamiliesHoused in rapid re-housing.

2. Delay ERAP payments by increasing the documentation requirements for applicants.

3. Memorialize unproven myths and stereotypes about poor, primarily Black people who apply for government programs into official government policy. Despite no evidence of fraud, the bill removes the ability of tenants to self-certify eligibility. (As a reminder, unlike the federal counterpart during the pandemic, ERAP payments do not go to tenants-they go to landlords to pay back rent.) It undoes long-fought-for reform to this program without any evidence of fraud or abuse.

4. Increase the speed and number of evictions in D.C. regardless of whose fault any delay in processing ERAP is.

5. Run the risk of increasing housing insecurity and homelessness, on top of already rising numbers and fewer resources to serve those in need.

We urge members of the D.C. Council to vote against this emergency bill and convene a working group to come up with real solutions. (Some ideas here.)

We urge you to contact your Councilmember to express your opposition. (Jews United for Justice has a call script here.)

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