PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Tenant advocates said they expect an increase in eviction filings, now that the U.S. Supreme Court has ended the CDC moratorium on evictions.
But they say there are still other options for renters, so they shouldn't panic.
The moratorium is over, but there is still a process for eviction that will allow time to find new housing or obtain rental assistance.
Michelle Dempsky, an attorney for Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania, says there is still money available for renters who fell behind because of COVID-19, but they should act fast.
"Anyone who needs that relief should apply right away, because it’s available now. Will it be available in October? I don’t know," Dempsky said.
"It’s a very uncertain time, and we don’t what kind of numbers we’re going to be looking at for eviction cases or how many people will be applying, how many will be approved."
In Philadelphia, unlike the rest of the state, most of the city's $158 million allocated to rent relief has already been disbursed, with some 30,000 applications still pending.
But Philadelphia courts have halted evictions if a tenant has even applied for the aid.
Bucks County has a similar order in place.
Philadelphia has an eviction diversion program, and Community Legal Services attorney Jenna Collins said 70% of cases that went through that process were being resolved there.
Collins said she does expect an increase in evictions but hopes the program will keep the numbers down.
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