By Erik Gartland: For Complete Post, Click Here…
An estimated 9.2 million adult renters — 23 percent of renters — who have lost employment income during COVID-19 are not caught up on rent, our new analysis of Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey data from August to November shows. (See graph.) That’s more than twice the rate among those who have not lost income, showing how COVID-19 has dramatically worsened renter hardship. Hardship will rise further if policymakers let the CARES Act’s expanded unemployment benefits and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) eviction moratorium expire at year’s end as currently scheduled, just as COVID-19 cases are surging and the economic recovery is slowing.
Renters who have lost employment income, likely due to job loss or reduced hours, are worried about keeping a roof over their head through winter. An estimated 15.5 million adult renters — 38 percent of renters — who lost employment income report no or slight confidence that they can pay next month’s rent. That’s considerably higher than the 14 percent of renters who have not lost employment income. Among renters who lost employment income and are not caught up on rent, 51 percent say they are very or somewhat likely to be evicted in the next two months.
