Millions Of Americans Could Be Facing Eviction
Mehran Mossaddad is a single dad who drives Uber for a living. But when the pandemic hit, he stopped because he couldn't leave his daughter home alone. He fell behind on rent and is facing eviction. Lynsey Weatherspoon for NPR hide caption
Mehran Mossaddad is a single dad who drives Uber for a living. But when the pandemic hit, he stopped because he couldn't leave his daughter home alone. He fell behind on rent and is facing eviction.
Lynsey Weatherspoon for NPRBack in March, Congress approved nearly $50 billion in aid for people who need rental assistance to avoid eviction. At the same time a federal moratorium on evictions is expected to be extended till the end of the July.
That money goes to the states, and then onto counties and cities where different programs are popping up to take applications and write checks to renters and landlords. It's gone relatively well in some places, but an estimated 7 million Americans are still behind on rent. And even just the threat of eviction is making it harder for them to find a place to live.
NPR's Chris Arnold spoke with families who have received assistance and those who are still hoping to. Through his reporting he found evidence across the country of a disparate impact on Black renters.
Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
This episode was produced by Lee Hale and Brent Baughman. It was edited by Sami Yenigun with help from Wynne Davis and Rafael Nam. Our executive producer is Cara Tallo.