NORTH CAROLINA, USA — A federal freeze on most evictions ends Saturday. We're breaking down what this means for North Carolina renters struggling to pay bills and getting answers to your questions.
As of July 5, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. said they faced eviction in the next two months, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey, conducted weekly.
North Carolina is one of several states that enacted a moratorium last year slowing down the evictions.
North Carolina’s Housing Opportunities and Prevention of Evictions program offers rent and utility assistance to low-income renters in 88 of the smallest counties in the state.
Officials said, North Carolina, set aside roughly $1.3 billion to help tenants cover their housing and utility costs.
The state estimates it has awarded a total of more than $305 million to 81,039 different households that qualify for the HOPE program, according to state officials.
Officials said in a release, as the state reopens eviction hearings are expected to increase
Some are worried about the evictions and if they will cause an increase in homelessness.
According to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey, about 1 in 13 North Carolina tenants have no confidence they’ll be able to make next month’s rent. Survey data shows 30% of respondents believe it is at least somewhat likely that they will be evicted within two months.
The moratorium, put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in September, was the only tool keeping millions of tenants in their homes. Many of them lost jobs during the coronavirus pandemic and had fallen months behind on their rent.
