Uncertainty Over Ending Of Eviction Moratorium

Evansville IN

03 August, 2021

3:07 PM

Description

By Steve Burger, WNIN Aug. 3, 2021 With the expiration of the Centers for Disease Control COVID-19 moratorium on evictions over the weekend, local housing organizations are scrambling to find new funding to help renters and mortgage holders stay in their homes. Organizations in Evansville that deal with those experiencing homelessness say the expiration of the eviction moratorium will likely mean there will be a surge in evictions in the coming weeks, they just don't know how many people they'll be dealing with yet. Aurora Evansville executive director Zac Heronemus says the agency has paid out over $1.2 million in emergency COVID-19 payments to keep local families in their homes during the pandemic. But that money is drying up, and it's getting more difficult to get renters and homeowners qualified under the stimulus funding guidelines. Heronemus says, "It's something- a recent development and we're hoping to get funding in place to help stave off evictions moving forward." Heronemus says another issue is the lack of affordable housing for low income people in Evansville. That issue received public attention again recently during coverage of problems at the Woodland Park Apartments, where residents say they're afraid to report problems because there is no nowhere for them to go that they can afford. A paper mill will produce one hundred percent recyled products. When you look at what's known as the annual point in time survey, the first thing you notice is that the number of people experiencing homelessness in Evansville is down- way down. A contractor for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is once again dredging the Ohio River navigation channel at Evansville. WNIN is the NPR/PBS affiliate in Evansville, Indiana. We serve Southwestern Indiana, Western Kentucky and Southern Illinois from our multimedia facility located on the Ohio River in downtown Evansville. For the past several years, the recognized quality of our local news has placed us among the best small market radio news organizations in the nation.