Eviction wave looms without another virus relief package

Nearly 16 percent of the nation's 43 million renters were behind on their rent in October, and about half of  renters surveyed say they're not confident or only moderately confident about paying on time next month. 

"Recent estimates found that between 6.7 million and 13.9 million households could be at risk of eviction," Emma Coleman reports for Route Fifty. "If 25% of newly evicted people become homeless, the costs to public health and social safety net programs would be astronomical—between $62 billion and $129 billion, according to a new report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition and the Innovation for Justice program at the University of Arizona."

"Without another stimulus package providing renters with a direct infusion of cash or allocating money to local rent relief programs, housing advocates say they are worried that renters’ situations could grow more dire in winter months and lead to a wave of evictions," Coleman reports. "This is especially true if local or federal eviction moratoriums expire."

Princeton University's Eviction Lab has an interactive map and raw data files showing state- and county-level eviction data; click here to see how your county ranks.