PHOTO: Courtney Hanson
Millions of renters are facing the possibility of becoming unhoused as the crisis has left them jobless and unable to pay rent. The limited federal, state and local moratoriums on eviction have either expired or are about to. It’s imperative now that everyone rally to the demands of the movement: cancel the rent, no evictions, house the homeless, universal basic income.
Below are the thoughts and experiences of a few of the people who are facing the prospect of eviction. They told their stories to the New York Times in a story published May 27.
Sandy Naffah, in her 50s, Euclid, Ohio—She lost both her two part-time jobs, and fell behind on the $800-a-month rent on her one-bedroom apartment. As of late May, she was still waiting for the one-time federal stimulus check and for her unemployment benefits. “It’s a ticking clock,” she said. “I can’t continue to go on this way, otherwise I will be out on the street.”
Christie Wilson, 37, Decatur, Georgia—She fled from a dangerous relationship, and spent several months sleeping in her car last year before a veterans program helped her pay for a two-bedroom apartment. She had recently gotten a job at a warehouse, and after working for two days was laid off in March as the virus outbreak got worse. A few weeks later she got an eviction notice. She worries about getting Covid-19 if she ends up in a homeless shelter.
Stephen Jenkins, 64, Springfield, Ohio—He lost his assembly job in January, making it difficult to pay his $900 monthly rent. By March, his savings had run out, and he asked his landlord if he could pay the rent late, after his Social Security check came through. His landlord filed to evict him. Since then, his wife lost her job at a restaurant when the virus outbreak forced restaurants to shut down. “I haven’t slept through a night since March,” he said. “I wake up at three or four in the morning worried about what’s going to happen tomorrow.”
&nnbsp;
