Nearly 240,000 Pennsylvanians possibly lost their homes on February 31, but some local lawmakers try to ensure that it won't happen.
More help is on the way for homeowners and renters who struggle in paying their bills due to the COVID-19 pandemic as new legislation calls to extend the eviction moratorium. According to CBS Philly via MSN, Several Pennsylvania state Senators will join forces to save thousands of residents from losing their homes in the midst of the pandemic.
Lawmakers claim to extend the eviction moratorium is needed
Senator Vincent Hughes explained that their proposal aims to extend a moratorium for foreclosures and evictions for 60 days. Without an extension, the housing crisis, which started even before the pandemic, will be exacerbated.
Lawmakers urge people to have enough time to fall back on their feet as the COVID-19 cases and the unemployment rate continues to rise through the eviction moratorium's extension. They believe that the state would face dreadful economic consequences without providing some relief.
Tenants' rights advocates are fighting for the moratorium evictions extension to deal with residents who fear being homeless daily. The Democratic senators proposed the bill, but they say it seemed unclear if it will get bipartisan support as the issue is not just on their party, this is a problem that affects the entire community.
Read also: CDC Warns of Possible Surge in COVID-19 Cases as Eviction Ban Nears End
PA lawmakers will pass similar law NY passed
On Monday, the Senate Democrats and Pennsylvania House offered the bill to solve the housing crisis, which affects hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians. The local lawmakers want to pass a foreclosure and eviction ban similar to the law passed in New York last week. The extension would last 60 days after Governor Tom Wolf's third emergency declaration expires in February.
According to the York Daily Record, Representative Sara Innamorato said a Census study revealed that over 691,000 residents were not currently on their rent or could not pay on time. Even before the coronavirus pandemic, many families in the state are already struggling and living paycheck to paycheck, Innamorato pointed out.
Meanwhile, Senator-elect Nikil Saval said the states could face a $2.8 billion bill to pay without a moratorium due to homelessness. Hundred of thousands of new COVID-19 infections and tens of thousands of deaths are possible from being homeless, Saval said.
A basic human right considers the right to housing to keep people in their homes, and it is a fundamental government responsibility, he added. Lawmakers claim that eviction is commonly traumatizing for residents with young children.
Most of the lawmakers emphasized that foreclosures and evictions are not just urban problems. In September, when the state evictions moratorium expired, Republican leaders did not respond to Governor Wolf's call for an extension.
Landlords and tenants asked for relief, but the state made it hard to access federal relief funds, Spotlight reported. The state used $108 million of Pennsylvania's budget balance instead as a solution.
Read also: New York Bans Evictions for Nearly Two Months, Will It be a Better or Worse Situation After?
