Tenant rights groups say the Department of Justice (DOJ) has yet to file a single criminal charge for violations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) eviction moratorium, which carries penalties of up to $200,000 and a year in jail.
“I think it would be helpful if they prosecuted landlords who are violating the law,” said Isaac Sturgill, an attorney at Legal Aid of North Carolina. “From my knowledge, DOJ hasn’t been enforcing the order. It does make it look more like a paper tiger.”
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Enacted in September as a public health measure, the CDC order aims to mitigate the spread of coronavirus by helping financially distressed tenants remain in their homes, instead of forcing them into homeless shelters or other crowded living spaces.
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Sonya Acosta is a Policy Analyst with the Housing Policy team. Prior to coming to the Center, she worked on disaster recovery, Native housing, appropriations, and benefits cuts at the National Low Income Housing Coalition. She also worked at several fair housing organizations in the Chicago area and completed two terms of AmeriCorps service.
Acosta holds a B.A in history and international studies from the University of New Mexico and a Master of Science in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University.
Recent work
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Hillside Crossing, phase two of ambitious revitalization effort, nears finish in Schenectady
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1of14Buy PhotoA new apartment complex is being constructed on Craig Street at Albany on Thursday, April 8, 2021, in Schenectady, N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union)Will Waldron/Albany Times UnionShow MoreShow Less
2of14Buy PhotoThe Hillside Crossing, a 54-unit mid-rise apartment building on Albany Street, is under construction on Thursday, April 8, 2021, in Schenectady, N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union)Will Waldron/Albany Times UnionShow MoreShow Less
4of14Buy PhotoThe Hillside Crossing, a 54-unit mid-rise apartment building on Albany Street, is under construction on Thursday, April 8, 2021, in Schenectady, N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union)Will Waldron/Albany Times UnionShow MoreShow Less
Housing isn’t a marquee part of the $2.5 trillion proposal Biden unveiled last week, dubbed the American Jobs Plan, as the next step of his economic recovery agenda.
The measure, however, would spend four times the entire Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2020 budget on a range of programs meant to fight a housing shortage exacerbated by the pandemic.
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Biden is aiming to produce 2 million affordable houses and apartments with $213 billion in tax credits, federal spending and grants meant to encourage the construction of new buildings and the rehabilitation of existing ones to serve lower-income families.
The housing plan is still short on details and could change as Biden attempts to shepherd his infrastructure bill through Congress. Even so, affordable housing advocates, homebuilders, and housing economists say that Biden is on track to make a crucial dent in a pressing shortage.