Rent assistance ends soon as NC residents struggle to keep roofs over their heads
State and federal regulations barring evictions during the coronavirus pandemic both end in 10 days, leaving tens of thousands of North Carolina families at risk of being homeless in the new year.
The pandemic relief package Congress is negotiating would extend the national moratorium through January and provide $25 billion in emergency rental relief, if it's approved.
Samantha Wynn is doing all she can to make ends meet while raising two grandchildren. She lost her job in the the food service industry early on in the pandemic and is now nine months behind on her rent.
Wynn said she never had a problem paying her rent before the pandemic. But her landlord sent her an email showing hundreds of dollars in back rent pilling up.
"I said, 'I have two children in here.' I was begging and pleading on the phone," she said.
Wynn was among thousands of North Carolinians who sought help from the Housing Opportunities and Prevention of Evictions, or HOPE, program with the belief that things would get better. But she was turned down twice without explanation.
“[We've] just been getting by and getting through," she said. "I don’t wish this on anybody. I really don’t because it’s not easy with small children in a home and you’re needing things. The holidays are coming. I have nothing to give them."
Officials with the HOPE program didn't respond to questions about why Wynn didn't qualify for assistance or the current wait time for people still expecting aid.
Beau Cromartie, a member of the Housing Justice Coalition, said an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 people in North Carolina are unable to pay their rent.
“There is a way to keep people in their homes. We need to work together to stop evictions," Cromartie said.
The Stop Evictions Network and other groups have started a petition seeking to extend the eviction moratorium through the end of the pandemic. The coalition is asking that rent and utility payments to be waived, and want complete forgiveness on back rent.
"Citizens cannot shelter in place if they don’t have a home," Cromartie said, adding that the Housing Justice Coalition also wants back rent to be forgiven and current rent and utility payments be waived.
Wynn said her landlord is working with her for now, but she still fears what will happen come January.
“What do I do to survive? I get on the phone every day. I keep pushing until somebody hears me," she said.
The Stop Evictions Network has a list of resources for people seeking help.
