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Evictions Leave 28 Million Potentially Homeless

We Need to Take Action Now

By Stacy DavenportPublished 4 years ago 4 min read
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Evictions Leave 28 Million Potentially Homeless
Photo by Matt Collamer on Unsplash

On July 27, 2020 the protections keeping people from being evicted during the pandemic are ending. For months people have had rent bills piling up as they are unable to work during the shut downs. Unemploy­ment rates have skyrocketed showing that many Americans are in dire need of money for basic living necessities. Some families have to choose between buying food and paying their rent.

Homelessness is a serious problem that leaves families already stressed by the difficulties of the pandemic, increased violence and racism, uncertainties about schools reopening in the fall, a difficult winter looming ahead, and now families even face eviction. The evictions looming might make 28 million homeless. According to Emily Benfer, the leading expert on evictions, who was interviewed by CNBC in an article titled Looming Evictions May Soon Make 28 Million Homeless Expert Says posted on July 10, 2020 she states, “We’re looking at 20 million to 28 million people in this moment, between now and September, facing eviction.” (https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/10/looming-evictions-may-soon-make-28-million-homeless-expert-says.html). This is a staggering number that leaves many without shelters to rely on because shelters will be full.

Evictions also disproportionately affect people of color. With the increase in racial injustices brought to our attention through the Black Lives matter movement, it is clear that racial inequalities are a major issue in the United States. According to the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, “People of color have been particularly harmed by housing instability, discriminatory rental policies, and homelessness. Today, approximately half of all renters in this country are people of color, and these renters are disproportionately affected by housing cost burdens. Around a quarter of Black and Hispanic households spend at least half of their income on housing costs, as compared with less than 20 percent of white households. People of color also face disproportionate rates of eviction.” Read the full report at https://nlchp.org/wpcontent/uploads/2018/10/ProtectTenants2018.pdf.

By KOBU Agency on Unsplash

These evictions all come at a horrible time when the pandemic has grown out of control in the United States. There were 58,858 new cases reported in the US on July 14, 2020. The number of deaths just in one day was 351. As hospitals fill, many more Americans face the possibility of dying due to the lack of hospital supplies and beds. The last thing we need is for families to be homeless during a pandemic with winter ahead of us soon enough. Before we know it, we could have starving, freezing, sick homeless families living on the streets with nowhere to go and no way to get the assistance they need. We need to look ahead to the future and start planning accordingly.

To solve the issue of homelessness Benfer states, “As an immediate measure, we need a nationwide uniform moratorium on eviction, and it has to be coupled with financial assistance to ensure that the renter can stay housed without shifting the debt burden onto the property owner. The owners that are the most likely to be affected by the eviction crisis right now are those who have small properties and don’t have the financial cushion to make ends meet over a period of months when they’re not receiving that rent. Once that’s in place, we really need to start addressing the root causes of the eviction crisis and the lack of affordable housing.” We also all need to do our part. It's time that we apply for grants, create more charities, and get businesses involved in making charitable donations so we can use that money locally to help catch the homeless population that will have nowhere to go this winter. The govern­ment has funds available that can be used to help people improve their communities. It is up to us to do what we can, take action, stop waiting for oversight and make changes as soon as possible before things get even more out of control. We have to be motivated to each individually pitch in by donating money, food, and supplies to those who need it. Don't wait until the very last minute until the problem gets worse. That won't help save lives. We need to start making progress and changes now.

I'm working on creating a nonprofit to help women facing eviction and those who need shelter by seeking contributions that will help me buy a motorhome to be used as a mobile shelter to assist the population in my area during a time of crisis. Getting the paperwork started for establishing the nonprofit is the easy part. Getting the money needed to build it is the hard part. If I can prove that this works, then I have future plans to buy more motor homes to help house even more families in other communities as safely as possible. This is just one way that I want to help, and if I can get the support that I need, raise awareness, and get started soon, I can have something in place by winter.

Please do your part to help those who are less fortunate than you are.

Follow me @anastas28005889

activism
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About the Creator

Stacy Davenport

I own Serista Wellness, LLC and feel passionate about topics related to health and wellness, politics, women’s rights, the LGBTQ+ community, chronic illnesses and social change.

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