Evictions during the coronavirus pandemic put Valley communities at risk

Every Tuesday morning, a few dozen people pack into the tiny courtroom where eviction filings are handled in Fresno County. This past week, despite the rising concerns over COVID-19 and the recognition that “social distancing” (link: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/risk-assessment.html) is one of the most important things that we can do to slow the spread of the virus, the traffic through eviction court was as high as it usually is. Despite a global pandemic, it is business as usual for evictions in Fresno County.

A pandemic has a way of revealing the weaknesses in our social infrastructure. What happens to people whose livelihood relies on hourly wages or gigs when they are forced to quarantine or their employer temporarily shuts down? What happens to people who fall ill but lack health insurance? As schools and daycare facilities close, how do parents manage childcare while still being expected to show up to work to get a paycheck? And what happens to rent payments in an already rent-burdened community where many people live life on the edge — only one unexpected life event away from eviction?

Late last year, we highlighted the precariousness of our rent-burdened population (link: https://faithinthevalley.org/evicted-fresno/), which contributes to a high eviction rate in Fresno County. Over half of households in Fresno County are rent-burdened (link: https://www.citylab.com/equity/2019/09/affordable-housing-fresno-california-home-real-estate-rent/598840/) and the majority of eviction filings are over unpaid rent. The vast majority of those are situations where the renter was one month or less behind in rent. In short, one missed paycheck or even just a smaller paycheck could mean eviction.

Those who receive an eviction notice due to unpaid rent not only often lose their housing but also get penalized with further costs through attorney fees, court fees, holdover damages, moving and storage fees, and an annual interest rate on unpaid money judgments. We know that many who face eviction because of their socioeconomic challenges and the locations where evictions are highest are more likely to be vulnerable when it comes to their health. In areas where eviction rates are highest, people are more likely to be exposed to poorer environmental conditions, are less likely to be insured, and ultimately face shorter life expectancies (link: https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article218161685.html). Even before the emergence of COVID-19, these facts were alarming. But in the wake of a global pandemic, we are facing an unparalleled housing and public health crisis.

In other major California cities we are seeing a push to place a moratorium on evictions. Legislation is passing through San Jose (link: https://www.citylab.com/equity/2020/03/coronavirus-income-loss-paying-rent-eviction-housing-covid19/607426/) and Los Angeles (https://www.latimes.com/homeless-housing/story/2020-03-12/coronavirus-housing-temporary-eviction-moratorium-tenants-los-angeles-san-francisco), and San Francisco has already acted (link: https://sfmayor.org/article/mayor-london-breed-announces-moratorium-evictions-related-covid-19-pandemic). In fact, there is now similar statewide legislation being proposed in California (link: https://www.fresnobee.com/news/california/article241148446.html).

Allowing the formal eviction process to carry on during the COVID-19 pandemic has compounding effects on existing crises. If tenants are unable to make rent because of the economic impact of COVID-19 that causes job and wage loss, then the housing crisis will exponentially worsen if the courts keep processing eviction filings. If tenants who receive a notice must appear in eviction court to save their housing, then they along with court staff are placed at greater health risk because of the sheer amount of bodies moving through the courthouse, getting into elevators, and sitting or standing shoulder to shoulder in the courtroom. If tenants fear not being able to make rent, then even in the event that they may have contracted the virus, they are more likely to keep going to work or avoid getting tested to avoid out-of-pocket health-care expenses. And if tenants lose their housing, we have found from ongoing survey research that most rely on motels, a family member, or a shelter to keep a roof over their head in the immediate term. These are housing situations that increase crowding, which flies in the face of what needs to happen to stop the spread of a serious viral infection.

It is imperative that we have a social safety net in a time of crisis. This applies to health care, food access, lost wages and also to housing. The consequences of leaving rent-burdened families in fear of losing their home over unpaid rent during a pandemic are widespread, affecting public health, our economy, and our social sustainability. We call on local jurisdictions in Fresno County and across the Central Valley to act now and place a moratorium on eviction filings, implement an emergency fund for tenants and landlords who struggle with unpaid expenses, and halt evictions that have already been filed. The state may eventually make that choice and we hope that they do, but our local policymakers should not wait.

This story was originally published March 13, 2020 at 4:47 PM.