There are no breaking news at the moment

 

Rhode Island Leaders reacted vigorously to the impending eviction threat in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling. See: Supreme Court Overturns CDC/Biden Eviction Ban 

Interestingly, Rhode Island Housing, the State of Rhode Island Agency tasked with distributing Federal Rent Relief, has so far refused comment, or more importantly, guidance to the Support Community aiding individual tenants, or landlords/tenants.

Chas Calenda-Atty At Law Discusses SCOTUS Ruling Terminating Biden/CDC Imposed Eviction Moratorium

Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee

“We are disappointed in the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court and ask Congress to act to reinstate protections for renters facing eviction here in Rhode Island and across the United States. As we explore all available options to keep Rhode Islanders in their homes, we urge those at risk of eviction to apply for assistance through RentReliefRI. Anyone in need of assistance with their application or facing evictioand in need of legal services, should consult the partner agencies listed here. “

Jennifer L. Wood – Executive Director: Center For Justice

The US Supreme Court ended the federal eviction moratorium last night. This means: If you were protected from eviction because of a CDC declaration, you are now at risk of being evicted if you cannot make rent. It is more important than ever to get rental assistance through Rent Relief RI: rihousing.com/rentreliefri/

If you were served eviction papers and need legal help, contact us (401-491-1101) or @rilegalservices(401-274-2652). Note: We cannot provide rental relief funds to callers. You must go through Rent Relief RI.

With the Delta variant surging, it is critical for the US Congress, and for the Governor and RI General Assembly, to extend protections for tenants so that we can keep people in their homes.

Dr. Luis Daniel Munoz – Candidate For Governor

Congress approved ~$50 billion to help people pay back #rent, but money hasn’t reached the vast majority of people in need.

RI has ~$350M. We’ve used less than $12M and ~$120M will be returned to treasury in 4 weeks. This is a #humanrights issue. People need help, and #shelter.

RI Housing has stated that our need is being met, and yet by its own interpretation of definitions, people who experience economic hardship as a consequence of residing in high transmission zones, where local economies are disproportionately impacted, do not qualify for assistance on that basis.

If RI does not push its federal delegation and state leaders to address these systemic barriers to access, then RI families, individuals, and children will suffer. Approximately 40,000 people face evictions this winter, in Rhode Island.

Mark Rutherford – Constitutional Lawyer

Six justices of the United States Supreme Court took the unusually expedited route of an order that ruled that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did not have the authority to impose the nationwide freeze on evictions. Dissenting Justice Stephen Breyer complained of the expedited process but did not state the outcome would necessarily be different after the usual process. Perhaps the US Supreme Court is significantly tired of bureaucratic agencies and the executive legislating, and will not allow it anymore. Let us hope so.
The US Supreme Court’s order ruling the CDC does not have the authority to freeze evictions nationwide brought out dissenting opinions. Justice Breyer did write that Congress has appropriated more than $46.5 billion to help pay back rent. True, but most landlords have seen little of this, partially because tenants must ask for the relief, not the landlords. Tenants aren’t asking. Landlords still have bills to pay.

With evictions piling up and the right-wing Supreme Court gutting the federal moratorium, RI needs to take action to protect our neighbors.

Dr. Peter Nightingale – The Poor People’s Campaign

The decision of the Supreme Court to allow evictions to resume threatens roughly 3.5 million people in the U.S. Rulings such as these contribute to the death toll in the U.S., where 250,000 people die prematurely every year because of poverty. Congress and the states must extend the moratorium. They must use the breathing space to find a long-term solution for the housing crisis, one that recognizes that debts that cannot be paid must be forgiven. The industrialized world may have chosen to forget this, but debt forgiveness—aka a jubilee—was regularly declared in the ancient Near East thousands of years ago. The jubilee was also part of Mosaic Law. If the creditors, big banks—such as JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America—will have to take a loss to serve the common good, so be it.

 

 

 

 

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*