ICYMI: Biden Administration Continues Eviction Prevention Efforts

This week, White House and Treasury officials have continued to meet directly with local administrators and elected officials to discuss the policies that are helping state and local governments scale up their distribution of Emergency Rental Assistance and to encourage others to follow the lead of their peers who are getting relief out swiftly.

Earlier today, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo participated in a roundtable discussion hosted by Housing Initiative Partnership (HIP) in Hyattsville, Maryland where he heard from tenants, landlords, community leaders and administrators of Prince George's County's effective Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) program. Despite having to build their program largely from scratch, Prince George's County has already distributed 83% of its first allotment of ERA funds to more than 3,200 Maryland tenants and landlords. Administrators attribute the program's success to a combination of following Treasury's guidance on reducing burdensome documentation requirements, offering direct assistance to tenants when landlords are uncooperative, and working in tandem with community organizations focused on eviction diversion.

This meeting came on the heels of another successful engagement on Emergency Rental Assistance. Yesterday, Biden Administration officials joined a meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors to discuss the Administration's ongoing efforts to prevent evictions and keep Americans safe and housed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky briefed nearly one hundred mayors on the state of the pandemic and the public health imperative to keep people in their homes. Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta reiterated ways that mayors across the country can work closely with state and local courts to set up eviction diversion programs in their cities. White House American Rescue Plan Coordinator Gene Sperling outlined how billions in American Rescue Plan dollars can fund eviction diversion programs and legal aid for tenants. Noel Poyo, Treasury's Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Economic Development, outlined the flexibilities on documentation and delivery that the Administration has put in place for ERA – policies that are allowing many states and local governments to rapidly scale up their programs. Deputy Assistant Secretary Poyo highlighted Washington D.C.'s self-attestation form – which allows renters to self-attest to rental obligation, financial impact of COVID, risk of housing instability, and income, all in one place. This form is listed on Treasury's Promising Practices page. Administration officials stressed that ERA programs can and should use simple forms and remove unnecessary documentation requirements to more swiftly distribute ERA funds – and that they can do so without falling out of compliance with the program regulations.

U.S. Treasury Chief Recovery Officer Jacob Leibenluft highlighted that many cities are making these flexibilities work – and getting relief out quickly. San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg shared how his city's ERA program is effectively using self-attestation and a streamlined application to get relief out quickly. Mayor Greg Fisher of Louisville, Kentucky – whose administration has used Emergency Rental Assistance funding to guarantee a right to counsel for families with children who are facing eviction – spoke about how Louisville's program combines self-certification and income-based proxies to quickly verify eligibility. Nan Whaley, Mayor of Dayton and President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors discussed the historic nature of this federal investment in eviction prevention and stressed the urgency of stopping evictions. White House Intergovernmental Affairs Director Julie Rodriguez reiterated the strong continuing partnership with mayors, adding that this meeting is just the latest example of the Administration's all-of-government effort to keep as many Americans safe and housed as possible.