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Column: Summit County CARES about tenants — and so should Ohio

Akron Beacon Journal - 8/6/2020

As Summit County works to fight the spread of the coronavirus, we're preparing for an eviction epidemic.

COVID-19 has caused mass layoffs in all corners of our economy and hourly wage workers have been hit particularly hard. The Census Bureau estimates nearly 500,000 Ohioans were unable to pay last month's rent. When so many tenants can't pay rent, it puts the entire housing market at risk. Summit County residents could lose their homes in the midst of a global pandemic. Landlords depend on rental income to pay their mortgages, taxes, employees, and maintenance costs.

That's why Summit County Council, along with the county executive, took action to help unemployed residents facing eviction and foreclosure. In June, we invested $6 million of our federal coronavirus relief funds, plus an additional $1.5 million in local Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Title XX funds to create the Summit County CARES program. This collaboration -- among United Way of Summit & Medina, the city of Akron, Community Action Akron Summit, Battered Women's Shelter, Fair Housing Contact Service, Mustard Seed Community Development Corp., and Community Legal Aid -- offers struggling residents up to four months of rent or mortgage payments as well as up to six months of utility assistance.

During the first application window that was open for 12 days we received 3,210 applications totaling approximately $6.2 million in requests from 25 communities across Summit County. Almost 20% of these applicants indicated they are already facing eviction.

In March, Faith, a local Copley resident, contracted COVID-19 through her work as a nurse. As a result, both Faith and her husband missed work for several weeks while they quarantined and waited for two negative COVID-19 tests. While sick with COVID-19, Faith worried about how they were going to pay their bills and began seeking help. Thanks to rental assistance funds, Faith, her husband, and three-year-old daughter were able to stay in their apartment and keep their utilities on.

Enhanced unemployment benefits have expired, an eviction moratorium on federally-backed properties has ended, and the pandemic continues to spread. We know thousands more like Faith will need help in the months to come right here in Summit County, and our CARES program funding is nearly depleted.

Fortunately, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown has sponsored a bill that would provide $100 billion in emergency rental assistance for tenants impacted by the coronavirus. The U.S. House passed similar legislation, but Senate leaders have not allocated any funding for housing assistance in their coronavirus relief proposal. Sen. Rob Portman, who sponsored the Eviction Crisis Act last year, could be a leading voice to persuade his Republican colleagues that renters facing eviction need a lifeline right now.

But Ohio doesn't need to wait for Congress. The state is still sitting on approximately $1 billion in federal coronavirus relief funds that could be used for emergency rental assistance. A coalition of 182 businesses, hospitals, and advocacy groups -- including the Cleveland Clinic, Huntington Bank, the Ohio Mayors' Alliance, and the Akron Cleveland Association of REALTORS -- are urging Gov. Mike DeWine to invest $100 million in emergency rental assistance. He should take their advice.

Federal, state, and local officials must work together to ensure everyone has a safe place to stay home during this public health crisis.

Elizabeth Walters is a member of Summit County Council.

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