HANCOCK COUNTY — Hancock County residents who have fallen behind on their rent during the coronavirus pandemic have been granted another reprieve for now, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extending a moratorium on evictions for most of the country. However, the brief prospect that evictions could start again has raised concerns for local nonprofits.
Stephanie Gustin, who works to help people find housing and stay in their houses through the Interlocal Community Action Program, said she was concerned when it looked as though the moratorium would immediately end. She had already started to see an increase in requests for help.
“In those two to three days, there were evictions filed,” Gustin said.
The CDC’s director signed a new order on Aug. 3 saying that evictions should still be prohibited in areas with high or substantial transmission of COVID-19 as a public health measure, after some lawmakers put pressure on President Joe Biden and the House of Representatives to extend the moratorium. That includes most of the United States and all but eight of Indiana’s counties.
The order will expire on Oct. 3 if not renewed. The moratorium can end in an individual county if its COVID transmission numbers drop out of the high to substantial category for 14 straight days. Hancock County is currently considered to have high transmission.
Gustin and other nonprofit leaders said the eviction moratorium is likely keeping some people in their homes in the short term, but the larger problem is that Hancock County doesn’t have much housing available for people on the lower end of the income spectrum.
Andrea Mallory, the director of Hancock County’s homeless shelter, Hancock Hope House, said there would be one ironic upside if the moratorium ended — the families who have been staying at Hope House while looking for somewhere to live might finally be able to find housing they can afford as others are evicted.
“That’s why the residents here are staying longer during COVID,” she said. “The rent is so expensive for people that make $10 an hour.”
Mallory said several residents at Hope House are employed and looking for housing, but are finding waiting lists instead of open units. The shelter is currently housing 14 adults and four children, approaching the 50% of its normal capacity at which it is operating to avoid spreading COVID-19.
As for people who are evicted, Mallory said, they would likely find somewhere to stay in the immediate term by relying on family, friends, or a church. It’s only when they’ve exhausted those resources, she said, that she might see more clients come to Hope House.
People who need assistance with rent can seek it from a number of places, including from the township trustee’s office in the area where they live. Steve Leonard, the trustee in Center Township, which includes Greenfield, said he has seen somewhat of an uptick in renters seeking assistance. However, he said, most need relatively small amounts to pay rent.
“Most I’m seeing aren’t months and months behind,” he said.
Leonard said the long moratorium has had both positive and negative impacts. It’s been difficult for local landlords, he said, especially those who only own one or two properties.
Personally, Leonard said, he doesn’t make a large profit owning and renting out one house that’s adjacent to his own, and that dynamic isn’t uncommon in Hancock County. Leonard said people can underestimate how much of a tenant’s rent goes toward repairs and property taxes rather than into a landlord’s pockets.
“It’s not all the profit that some people think it may be,” he said. “…Sometimes landlords are the little guys too.”
Vernon Township Trustee Florence May said she did notice a small spike in requests for assistance when it looked as though the moratorium would end, but overall, many people have stopped looking for housing they can afford in Hancock County because it simply isn’t available.
‘We’re seeing fewer and fewer requests because we’ve seen so many people move out of the area,” she said. “…If you’re making $15 to $18 an hour, you’re really going to be challenged to live in Hancock County.”
Gustin also said finding housing that’s affordable for people working in lower-income jobs is a challenge. Moreover, some landlords refuse to accept rent payment through the Housing Choice Voucher Program, even though it isn’t a risk for them — if renters lose a job or fall behind on bills, the voucher program will pay the difference.
“I’m a big fan of trying to get landlords to accept the voucher program,” she said.
Gustin plans to host an event for landlords on Aug. 31 that will explain more about the rental assistance program and how it can benefit both renters and owners. Landlords interested in attending can email Gustin at [email protected].
The federal government has offered several rental assistance programs to help out people who have fallen behind during the pandemic. However, only a small percentage of that money has so far made its way to the people who need it.
Gov. Eric Holcomb, who spoke this week at a Greenfield Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon in Fortville, said the state still has money available for renters’ assistance that can be passed on to local communities if their own funds are depleted.
“People do have to take the initiative to apply for that,” he said. “…If someone is in need, they need to make contact, and they need to request and apply for that assistance.”