Moratorium on Home Evictions

Episode Notes

Despite President Biden's extension of the federal moratorium on home evictions through March, renters and homeowners throughout Detroit and the nation are still being evicted at alarming rates. The current safeguards against home eviction lack enforcement mechanisms and furthermore, the moratorium doesn’t address the fact that renters and homeowners are falling behind due to surging pandemic-related unemployment. Cash assistance and rental and mortgage forgiveness need to be a part of any compassionate, equitable response to the worst days of the coronavirus pandemic. 

As renters are falling further behind on rent and housing activists across the nation are strongly advocating for the Center for Disease Control's moratorium to be extended and strengthened. Ending the moratorium, whether now or in March, will leave thousands of Detroiters homeless during the worst health crisis the nation has seen in generations. Most experts agree that the quickest path to community health is secure housing and access to clean water.

Wednesday, January 18 saw a nationally coordinated action against home evictions. Riverwise spoke with Nzinga Masani-Manuel and Rochella Stewart of Detroit People's Platform (DPP), and Reverend Roslyn Bouier of DPP and Brighmoor Connections about the current movement to keep Detroit residents in their homes. Their efforts include lobbying City Council members to sign on to a letter supporting an indefinite extension of federal and state moratoriums, as well as steering government cash assistance directly to Detroit households in need of assistance with rent, utility payments, and clean water.

The Riverwise Podcast is bringing together Detroit citizens to consider new and forms of resistance to continuing economic and political marginalization in communities of color. For over three years now, the Riverwise collective has created media that depicts local activism and the profound new work being done in Detroit neighborhoods. Through the quarterly Riverwise magazine, Riverwise community conversations, and the Riverwise Writing Workshop, we're developing our collective voice.