Bracing For A Wave Of Evictions

Published: July 6, 2020, 2:34 p.m.

"There’s an extraordinary need out there, by any measure. Within the first 24 hours of launching the program on Wednesday we had 17-hundred applications either in progress or already submitted.” Baltimore Housing Commissioner Michael Braverman describes a need that reflects the desperation of renters. As unemployment climbed during the coronavirus shutdown, rent delinquencies in the city doubled. With federal pandemic funds the city launched a COVID-19 rent support program to curtail the expected wave of evictions. Braverman explains who qualifies. You can call 410-396-3023 with questions. Then Charisse Lue, an attorney with the Public Justice Center, describes how the consequences of evictions spread from families to neighborhoods, and how investing in preventing eviction can save the city millions of dollars.