As the pandemic has caused unprecedented layoffs and furloughs across the country, the threat of eviction has become a major concern for millions of American families.
The Aspen Institute estimates approximately 30 to 40 million people in America are at risk of eviction in the coming months. North Carolina, which logged an unemployment rate of 6.5 percent in August, is no exception.
Emila Sutton, Orange County's director of housing and community development, said the county has fared considerably well in maintaining low numbers of eviction hearings. She said countywide courts only heard 28 eviction hearings total in August.
Additionally, Clerk of Superior Court Mark Kleinschmidt said he filed only three writs, or motions to move forward with evictions, in August.
These low numbers are due to forces, on both the federal and local government levels, that have prevented eviction hearings from happening and provided proactive rent assistance to prevent these cases from ever reaching court.
For those who are facing, or fear they are at risk of facing an eviction hearing in Orange County, here are four things you need to know:
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has ordered a nationwide eviction moratorium through the rest of 2020.
Eviction moratoriums, several of which have been enacted in previous months at state and federal levels, prevent owners from filing evictions against tenants until a certain date. On Sept. 2, the CDC issued a national moratorium that prevents tenants from being served eviction hearings until after Dec. 31.
However, the moratorium requires that tenants facing eviction make a legal declaration explaining their best efforts to pay rent and receive assistance, and their current inability to do so. The declaration is available on the CDC’s website and can also be drafted with the help of Orange County Housing. It is important to note that this moratorium doesn’t provide for rent forgiveness, but merely the delaying of payments.
