Pub. 6 2021 Issue 3

12 www.ctaahq.org O n Sept. 1st, 2020, the CDC issued a temporary halt in residential evictions to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. The order imposed a temporary national moratorium on most evictions for non-payment of rent to help prevent the spread of the virus. The average person spends more than 30% of their income on housing and lives paycheck to paycheck with little to no savings. That is one of the reasons why the eviction moratorium was extended. The order applies to all standard rental housing, including mobile homes. It does not cover hotels, motels or other guest home rentals. A complete list of qualifications can be found at the National Low Income Housing Coalition website: nlihc.org . The National Apartment Association recently published an article in Units Magazine called “Finding Rent Relief.” The article features a nonprofit organization founded in 2020 by a Los Angeles-based real estate firm created to assist residents facing eviction for the first time. It is called the Resident Relief Foundation or RRF. Over 12 months, the foundation raised over $90,000 that provided 41 grants. Their next goal is to raise $200,000 to assist 100 more families and individuals across the nation. Aid can be up to a month or two of rent paid to the property. They provide a “prevention model” offering assistance to those people identified by participating property management companies as potential recipients, hopefully BEFORE the situation becomes unmanageable. Budgeting classes and credit counseling are also offered. The RRF hopes to build support from property management professionals across the country. Link to the RRF at residentrelieffoundation.org . Our state and local apartment associations have been hard at work promoting resources that are helpful to both property owners and renters. Many apartment associations are The Rental Assistance Maze By Elaine Simpson