Holcomb to extend moratorium on rental evictions through July

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The governor announced Wednesday he will extend through July an executive order to protect tenants from being evicted due to the COVID-19 state of emergency.

On April 1, Gov. Eric Holcomb made the executive order to protect renters through June 30. The governor said in Wednesday’s coronavirus briefing that his legal team will be working to create the documents to extend the moratorium on evictions of renters. He added that no decision has been made on extending the moratorium on utility shutoffs due to nonpayment.

Holcomb’s decision came as Indiana announced a program to help households unable to pay rent due to a COVID-19-related job loss or income reduction.

Jacob Sipe, director of the Housing and Community Development Authority, announced the Indiana COVID-19 Rental Assistance Program during Holcomb’s coronavirus briefing. The program will provide assistance of up to $500 a month for four months and require the landlord’s agreement to participate. 

Renters in 91 counties, excluding Marion County, will be eligible for up to $500 in assistance for four months, totaling a maximum of $2,000 per household. About 12,000 Indiana households could be helped. The assistance can be used for past-due rent fro April 1 or later, or for ongoing rent payments.

Sipe said the $500 a month is not designed to cover renters’ full payments due. The average median rent for Hoosier renters is $825, he said.

Landlords who agree to participate will not evict for nonpayment until renters are more than 45 days delinquent on rent.

The state’s program is operating with $25 million from the federal CARES Act. Assistance will be available in 91 counties, excluding Marion County, which has its own program with other CARES Act funds. Indianapolis officials have put $15 million toward rent relief funding, which will provide back pay of rent as far back as April 1 or forward rent pay for up to 90 days. Indianapolis officials hoped its program could be used to pay rent due on July 1.

Here are eligibility requirements for the state program:

• Experienced a loss of income from involuntary job layoff, reduced work hours or reduced pay due to the public health emergency.
• Current household income, including unemployment, must be less than household income on March 6.
• Household must not have already received emergency rental assistance as part of the COVID-19 response.
• Must not already receive rental assistance, such as through Section 8 vouchers or USDA assistance.
• Payments will be made directly to landlords.

Renters can apply at indianahousingnow.org beginning July 13. The online application will also be available in Spanish. The website also has other resources for renters, Sipe said, in the “Coronavirus Eviction & Foreclosure Resource Guide.”

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Statements

“Although we appreciate the significant step finally made today in the announcement of a statewide rental assistance program to help our Hoosier COVID-19 impacted renters, our state must do more. Current funding will only impact a small number of the anticipated Hoosier renters who are at risk of housing loss or the devastating effects of an eviction on their record. It is imperative that the state allocate additional funding and/or work at the federal level to secure additional needed renter assistance.”

Amy Nelson of the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana

“We applaud Governor Holcomb’s steps to establish this much-needed program. It’s on-target to move the state in the right direction to ensure housing stability in response to COVID-19. Next we need to look factually at what’s happening on the ground and use the best data available to make sure we have enough resources to do the job right. That will mean Congress stepping up to provide the funding needed to complete what our state and local partners have started.

Jessica Love, executive director of Prosperity Indiana

“Black and Brown Hoosiers have been disproportionally affected by this pandemic and its effects on tenants’ housing stability. Providing them with a say in determining what happens to the resources used to prevent evictions is the least we can do to address the division, the trauma, and the violence within our communities.”

Derris Ross, founder and chief executive officer of The Ross Foundation and the Indianapolis Tenants Rights Community