Democratic Women’s Caucus Leadership Statement on Expiration of Eviction Moratorium

Washington, DC - Democratic Women's Caucus (DWC) Co-Chairs Congresswomen Brenda L. Lawrence (MI-14), Jackie Speier (CA-14), and Lois Frankel (FL-21), and Vice Chairs Congresswomen Veronica Escobar (TX-16) and Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) issued the following statement on the expiration of the eviction moratorium.

'Women and in particular women of color have been hit the hardest by the housing crisis that was a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic,' said the Members. 'Congress provided robust funding to help keep people in their homes during COVID-19, and as the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus continues to surge, state, local, and tribal governments must move quickly to disperse those funds. We must work as fast as possible to ensure that women and families do not face the trauma and hardship of eviction in the midst of this public health crisis, especially given the disproportionate impact lifting the eviction moratorium will have on women and families of color. We are committed to working with our colleagues in Congress, the White House, and states and localities across the country to ensure all families have access to the relief they need to stay safely in their homes, and urge the Administration to take all possible action in the interim to do so.'

While $46.5 billion in Emergency Rental Assistance was made available by Congress, and subsequently by the Administration to states, only a fraction of that assistance has reached those in need. According to the National Women's Law Center's analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey, which measures the social and economic impact of COVID-19 on households, women of color will be hit the hardest as a result of the moratorium lifted on July 31, 2021. From May 12, 2021 to May 24, 2021:

• Black, non-Hispanic women and Latinas continue to face higher rates of income loss, housing insecurity, and food insufficiency as compared to white, non-Hispanic men or women;
• Among renters, nearly one in four Black, non-Hispanic women (23.1%), one in five Asian, non-Hispanic women (20.0%), and more than one in six Latinas (17.6%) reported being behind on their rent. By comparison, only 9.1% of white, non-Hispanic men and 9.0% of white, non-Hispanic women reported being behind on rent payments;
• Among homeowners with mortgages, more than one in seven Black, non-Hispanic women (15.2%), and more than one in nine Latinas (11.8%) and Asian, non-Hispanic women (11.2%) reported being behind on mortgage payments. By comparison, about one in nineteen white, non-Hispanic men (5.2%) and a little over one in seventeen white, non-Hispanic women (6.0%) reported being behind on their mortgages;
• More than one in six Black, non-Hispanic women (17.1%) and Latinas (16.7%) reported not having enough food in the past week, compared to 5.7% of white, non-Hispanic men and 6.6% of white, non-Hispanic women.

For information on rental assistance, please visit https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/coronavirus/assistance-for-state-local-and-tribal-governments/emergency-rental-assistance-program/program-index.