Unions Join Commissioners to Outline Eviction Protections in Harris County; Call for Action by State Government
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping up with rent payments has been a struggle for tens of thousands of Harris County residents. Houston resident Mercedes Taylor is one of many who have experienced this crisis firsthand.
“Despite my willingness to work, I’ve been evicted,” said Taylor, an SEIU Texas union member and worker at Hobby Airport. “I’ve been living in my car — still going to work, still living. I’m sharing my story today because I know I’m not the only hard-working person facing eviction.”
Over 16,000 evictions have been processed in Harris County since March, and evictions have been trending up in December, according to January Advisors.
“As unemployment has spiked, more and more working families have struggled to afford rent and pay their mortgages, said Lacy Wolf, President of the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO. “Many of our members have experienced this firsthand. We started to hear about union members losing their homes when the Texas eviction moratorium expired in late May.”
“Folks have been putting rent on their credit cards, borrowing from family and friends, doing everything they could to make ends meet. But for far too many, it wasn’t enough.”
While renters do have some resources available to keep them in their homes, advocates say the State of Texas must do more.
“Harris County initiated over a dozen programs in response to the pandemic,” said Precinct Two Commissioner Adrian Garcia. “Whether it’s direct assistance checks, rental relief, digital access, small business aid, workforce development, we stand ready to support the community.”
“Unfortunately, the state seems content to sit, watch, and wish the pandemic away. To the best of our knowledge, the state eviction diversion program hasn’t issued a dollar to those in need. There’s no way to prove otherwise. Despite promising transparency, there’s no public accounting of how Texas uses CARES money. Texas currently sits on billions that could be put to work to help folks who are struggling, but there’s no coherent plan that we’ve seen. If you listen to the governor, we should just trust his office to spend that money wisely. Forgive me if I don’t believe Greg Abbott.”
The Texas Eviction Program was launched on October 12th, but to date the state has yet to release any data indicating how many tenants have participated in the program or how the $171 million in CARES Act money allocated to the program has been spent.
“As our community faces tough times, we cannot let down those who are most vulnerable by letting them get evicted during a global pandemic,” said Precinct One Commissioner Rodney Ellis. “We want people facing the threat of eviction to know that they have rights under the CDC moratorium, and that Harris County, through partnerships with the Eviction Defense Coalition, can provide free legal aid so people can make their case and remain in their homes. We must stop evictions before this crisis gets any worse.”
Harris County has one of the highest rates of evictions in the country, according to data from the Eviction Lab, outpacing all other large Texas counties. Eviction rates have spiked since the end of the Texas eviction moratorium on May 19th, which researchers at UCLA have concluded led to the deaths of over 4,500 across the state.
“Housing is healthcare,” said State Rep. Armando Walle. “There’s no way to quarantine if you’re going through the eviction process. It’s inhumane.”
Walle intends to file bills to implement a statewide eviction moratorium and wipe out the impact of evictions filed during the pandemic on tenant credit records.
For working people like Mercedes Taylor, action by state authorities to expand relief programs is critical.
“I started working at 17 years old — I’m not afraid of work. People in this country need resources and support. Working people need relief. We need relief from the threat of eviction.”
Tenants at risk of eviction are encouraged to go to stoptxeviction.org or to call 800–733–8394.
