Long waits for rental assistance put many at risk as eviction moratorium expires

DAYTON, Ohio (WKEF)--Today marks the first day the federal moratorium on evictions is lifted, it’s a divisive issue that’s split lawmakers across the nation.

There are over 200,000 households in Ohio behind on rent and over 130,000 at risk of being evicted.

Now, thousands of people across the state have to pay back their landlords or move out.

While rental assistance is available, Marcus Roth, the development and communications director with the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio says it’s taking a long time for people to receive assistance, prompting, and homeless shelters to brace for an influx.

“Those applications of people applying for emergency rental assistance it’s really slow getting it out the door it’s really tragic,” Roth said.

Roth tells me Ohio has received a total of $1.5 billion in rental assistance. He says how fast, already overwhelmed local agencies can disperse the funding will determine whether or not we have a homelessness crisis on our hands.

“The number one barrier is the size of the need, the number of people that need help. And the fact that there’s these in most cases many cases, relatively small community action agencies that are charged with trying to build this new program quickly. At the same time they’re juggling other relief programs,” Roth explained.

I headed to St. Vincent DePaul homeless shelter, where I met several people, including Ashley Smith, who were already evicted due to inability to pay rent. Smith says she’s been without housing for three months after losing her job as a certified nursing assistant.

“Struggling to find housing calling apartments after apartments nobody is responding. I’m on my own calling places. The assistance programs have been closed down. They haven’t been accepting people,” Smith said.

Smith explained that St. Vincent DePaul is helping with her rental assistance application, but she tells me it could take 3 to 6 months to get the funds. Meanwhile, rent prices have increased by 8 percent this year alone.

“It’s sickening to see it rising, and you can’t access it. There are lots of people here right now more than they’ve seen more than I’ve ever heard be here,” Smith said.

Now Roth says the looming increase at homeless shelters paired with- the rise of the delta variant could make the end of the eviction moratorium a public health crisis.

“We’re asking the Ohio Congressional Delegation to significantly increase housing vouchers so people can have access. So people struggling with low-wage jobs can get the help they need to pay their rent every month. We also need more supply of affordable housing, especially for the people who are working in the lowest wage jobs,” Roth stated.

Roth says housing advocates are also calling on Congress to rehabilitate the public housing program and to increase the national housing trust fund.

“It’s the most awful feeling in the world just simply because there are no places that are open,” Smith said.

If you need to apply for rental assistance in the Miami Valley, you can use so using this link.