The eviction moratorium is over. What's next?

Dear Neighbor,

As of this past Monday, Illinois's eviction moratorium is no longer in effect. That means people may be subject to eviction starting this week.

It's hard to imagine being kicked out of your home with a global pandemic still raging, on the basis of unpaid rent from one of the worst economic crises in modern history. But this is the reality that many of our neighbors may soon face.

I wanted to let you know what we're doing to help mitigate the harm of all this. First of all, eviction records will be automatically sealed until March 2022, thanks to a state law we passed at the beginning of the pandemic. And we've got hundreds of millions more in rent assistance going out later this year to help people cover unpaid rent due to COVID.

There's also a new court-based rent assistance program, so if you do get called in to eviction court, there will be staff on-site to help you apply for financial assistance to pay your back rent and stay in your home.

In the long run, we know the solution to the eviction crisis is stable, affordable housing for everyone. That's why as the chair of the Housing Committee, I sponsored legislation to provide hundreds of millions of dollars to support the construction of new affordable units across the state. And through the fall, our Committee will be hosting a series of hearings on how to use federal American Rescue Plan dollars to prevent homelessness, provide supportive housing, help preserve naturally occurring affordable housing, and serve populations who face systemic barriers to housing.

These are tricky problems. But the federal money provides us a once-in-a-generation chance to make transformational investments in housing. Hopefully we can create a future where fewer of our neighbors face the trauma of eviction.

Sincerely -

Will