Las Vegas, Nev. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) issued the following statement as the Senate continues hearings on the appointment of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. It has been 200 days since the last major COVID relief package, the CARES Act, was signed into law by President Trump. While last week President Trump walked away – and then came back to the negotiating table, Senator Cortez Masto continues to push for much-needed relief for Nevadans, including in housing.
A recent study by the COVID-19 Eviction Defense Project and the Aspen Institute shows that 181,966 Nevada households will be vulnerable to eviction by the end of the year if Congress doesn’t act to provide relief.
“200 days since the President signed America’s last major coronavirus relief package – the CARES Act – into law, Senator McConnell and Republicans in Congress have refused to take bipartisan action to provide relief to Nevadans. Instead, they’re trying to jam through a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court, even though a majority of Americans want the next President to fill the seat. It’s irresponsible to put COVID-19 relief on the back burner.
“In a pandemic, housing is health care. Without safe and stable housing, the pandemic will intensify and Nevadans will struggle to hold down jobs, attend school and care for sick family members. In September alone, 10% of tenants in Las Vegas missed a rent payment, and an estimated 180,000 Nevada households are still unable to pay their rent and will be vulnerable to eviction by the end of the year. In August, 35 million people in America were either unemployed or lived with an unemployed family member, including nine million children. The Senate and the President should act to keep a roof over the heads of financially-struggling families in Nevada and across the country.”
BACKGROUND:
- An estimated 1 in 4 renters with children lived in a household that was behind on rent. Also, data for August shows that some 35 million people — including 9 million children — either met the federal definition of “unemployed” (which understates the actual number of jobless workers) or lived with an unemployed family member, according to the Census’ latest Current Population Survey.
- The COVID-19 Eviction Defense Project and the Aspen Institute published a report in August that shows 181,966 Nevada households, or 418,523 individuals, will be vulnerable to evictions by the end of December. A September report by the National Council of State Housing Agencies estimated that 140,000-180,000 Nevada renter households were unable to pay their rent and there might be 110,000 evictions filed in Nevada starting in January 2021 when all eviction moratoriums expire.
- In September, 10.6% of Vegas tenants missed a rent payment, up from 4.1% a year earlier, the largest increase in the U.S., according to data on the top 50 metropolitan areas from RealPage Inc.
- The data covers professionally managed buildings and is more representative of large landlords. Smaller ones tend to own older buildings with poorer tenants more vulnerable to job loss but are not included in the data.
- Previous COVID-19 relief funds are available for rental assistance. Families who have lost income and are unable to pay their rent should apply here.