The federal eviction moratorium, established by the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), will expire on July 31, leaving many to grapple with an unstable housing situation. While residents have been facing the risk of displacement prior to the lifting of the moratorium, executive director of the Chinese Progressive Association Karen Chen said that when the end of the month comes around, many will be losing their safety nets. Chinatown residents, many of whom are working class people, will experience a hit from the expiration, even though the housing crisis is not something new to their neighborhood.
“[The housing crisis] will definitely be exacerbated,” said Chen. “We may or may not hear about it, because the housing pressure is already there. People are worrying about their own survival. We’re worried about the survival of Chinatown. Will working class people be able to stay in Chinatown, to live in Chinatown? We’re also worried about whether or not small businesses can continue. Those are the huge questions that we have.” She added, “Overnight it isn’t going to [change]. I think that it will be slower and gradual. But because there will be things that go under the radar, the problems will bubble up.”
Because of the pandemic, many residents have lost their jobs or had been fearful to go to their jobs, resulting in a loss of income and challenges with paying rent. These problems have been particularly pronounced in communities of color. The moratorium has been preventing residential evictions for non-payment for qualified tenants who submit a written declaration to their landlords. Courts have been accepting filings and processing cases but are not able to issue an order of execution, according to Alexander Sturke, director of communications for the City of Boston’s Department of Neighborhood Development. There are some specific conditions that will make the expiration of the moratorium particularly challenging for Chinatown residents, said May Chu, financial and housing counseling manager for the Asian Community Development Corporation.
“For people living in Chinatown, number one is the language [barrier],” said Chu. “Number two is technology skills. Because of the pandemic, we [could not] meet in person, so everything has to be online or on the phone. They face a lot of difficulties using those technologies. The third thing is that they are afraid about the pandemic environment, so they do not want to go out to work.” She added, “The challenge is that, a lot of residents, they may not go back to their jobs.”
Katie Forde, the acting deputy director of the City of Boston’s Office of Housing Stability, said that she believes the City has a robust system in place that will be able to manage fallout from the expiration of the moratorium. The City offers a Rental Relief Fund, as part of its post-moratorium plan, and also has a contract with the Asian American Civic Association, as part of an attempt to address language barriers.
“The reason I’m not nervous – I don’t think the sky is going to fall when the moratorium expires at the end of July – is because I think people are confused about what the moratorium does or did,” said Forde. “The CDC moratorium does a couple of things. It doesn’t stop your landlord from taking you to court. And it doesn’t stop you from paying rent. All it is is a declaration that you fill out saying that if you were to be evicted, you could get COVID or cause the spread of COVID. That’s all it did. People have still been getting evicted but not in high numbers in the City of Boston because of [resources].”
Chen said that she anticipates that individuals who are already vulnerable, such as undocumented people, could fall deeper into trouble. These people may not “have the mechanism to fight,” she said, and may be hesitant to seek help. She called upon the City to take further action to holistically help prevent inequity, as had been explored in the City’s Health Equity Now Plan, which she had been involved in the creation of.
“The City, maybe, should implement an eviction moratorium or a rent control policy,” said Chen. “We just have to slow the bleeding. Because I think some people are talking about, ‘what about increasing home ownership?’ Yes, we would like to get there, one day. But you’ve got to stop the bleeding, right now.”
Photo courtesy of City Life/Vida Urbana
