Thread by @LauraJedeed

“The city and state government allowed thousands of people to fall through the cracks for months and months. It’s too late to address this harm with a basic program that only lasts a few weeks."

-Jake Marshall, ATU

My latest for Truthout:

truthout.org/articles/local…

The eviction crisis didn't start with COVID. Eviction Lab estimates that landlords evicted a million people every year between 2000 and 2016--and that data doesn't include New York or California, neither of which provide eviction stats

Census surveys suggest that 4 million Americans could lose their housing in the next 2 months. Over 10 million are behind on rent

Congress has allocated funds for rent relief, but in many states, the relief has yet to arrive

After eviction, the relief doesn't make a difference

Evictions are serious. The effects last for years

An eviction means trouble finding anywhere to live

An eviction means deterioration of physical and mental health

Evictions are especially damaging for children

20% of all tenants with children are currently behind on rent

It shouldn't be this way, and it doesn't have to be this way

But it's hard to see how it can be any other way while we live in a system where real wages stagnate while wealth trickles upwards. Of course there's an eviction crisis when rent skyrockets and wages stay the same

Anyway check out the article and tell your local government to keep people in housing and speed up rent relief distribution

truthout.org/articles/local…