Houston Becomes Largest U.S. City Where Evictions Can Resume
May 26, 2020
Evictions are expected to skyrocket in Texas where the state Supreme Court has lifted a moratorium on evictions and unemployment has risen to historic levels amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Houston, for example, is now the largest city in the nation where evictions can resume. A rental assistance program there ran out of funding in just 90 minutes.
"We anticipate that there will be a tsunami of evictions filed, I do not doubt it, we are going to see homelessness," said Dana Karni, an attorney with Lone Star Legal Aid.
For now, moratoriums and government assistance — like expanded unemployment benefits — have kept evictions at bay. But as these protections expire, experts say a wave of evictions is on its way.