– We need help – E24

San Francisco (E24): For nearly twelve years, Jasmine Romero and her family have lived in the same apartment. They moved home when the eldest daughter was about six months old, and despite the time constraints, they stayed.

Now a family of four shares one bedroom, but the rent is approx. 15,000 per month is reasonable to be in San Francisco.

– We need something greater, but we cannot afford it, says Romero, clasping his arms.

But recently, another challenge has completely overwhelmed the frustration of the small space: The family didn’t have the money to pay the rent at all.

Month after month, debt piled up. Now they owe the homeowner over 150,000 kroner.

– It’s a very difficult situation, says Romero, who originally came from Mexico.

lost his job

Her husband, Marcus Cote, became unemployed after the outbreak of the pandemic. Then he closed the restaurant in which he had been working for several years. Now it’s reopening, but the transitions are much shorter than before, he says.

While he used to clock in at 22 hours in one weekend, he now works out the same amount in an entire week.

– There aren’t many clients, says Coote.

On the other hand, Jasmine Romero has been selling beauty products, but now she is at home with her youngest daughter Nathalie (7). The seven-year-old has a disability which means she has a special gait and cannot absorb food.

In addition, she suffers seizures where she loses consciousness.

Therefore, she needs special follow-up to be able to go to school, something the family has yet to reset after schools reopen this fall.

– Romero says it makes it a requirement to work.

She now fears they will be forced to leave the apartment after the state protection scheme expired last weekend.

“I am terrified by the idea that we can be expelled,” she says.

– We need help from the authorities, and there are a lot of people in the same situation as us.

Billions of debt

Covid-19 has led to a housing crisis in the United States. More than 5.8 million American families are still in debt, they say Latest estimates from Americans responded to Norway’s statistics, based on a survey conducted in mid-September.

It is estimated that about 3.2 million families are at risk of eviction from their homes over the next two months.

In total, American tenants owe a staggering $14.8 billion in rent, which equates to about $127 billion.

Tenants were previously protected by a federal ban on evictions, but President Joe Biden blocked the Supreme Court when he tried to continue in early August.

In the same month, there was an increase in the number of evictions in three states and 13 cities, according to data from evacuation lab, which maintains statistics for parts of the United States. But in large parts of the country there are still state and local protections in place, which may have prevented dozens from being sent to the streets.

Now many of these schemes are nearing completion.

In California, protection schemes disappeared on October 1. This means that individuals and businesses alike can be evicted if they don’t pay rent — in the state with the most debt-burdened tenants, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The average debt of overdue households is more than 40 thousand kroner.

“This is a lot of money, especially for low-income families,” said Carolina Reed, associate professor of urban and regional planning at the University of California, Berkeley.

– So there is great concern about the fate of these tenants, she said.

Removes unemployment benefits

However, Carolina Reed doesn’t think we’ll immediately see a landslide for people evicted from their homes, in part because there are federal and state schemes where renters who meet certain criteria can apply to cover their debts.

– The problem is that it has been difficult to get this money to the tenants, especially the tenants who may need it most, she said.

By the end of August, only 11 percent of a $46.5 billion federal pot had been distributed, according to The New York Times. In California, the payout rate so far is about the same.

Jasper Wilde is one of the lucky ones whose debts have been written off around 90,000 kronor, but after she lost her job in April 2020, she only had a temporary job for a few months.

Since she is still unemployed, she has no idea how to cover the rent for October. She thinks she can apply for new public funds, but she doesn’t know if she will qualify.

If she doesn’t pay, she thinks she will be kicked out.

There was a lot of uncertainty, and now unemployment benefits are also being cut, Wilde says, referring to several federal unemployment programs that were canceled in September:

Jasper Wilde is with 7.5 million Americans, affected by federal unemployment cuts.

That’s too bad, especially when we look at the unemployment numbers and the industries that have re-sailed, says Associate Professor Carolina Reed.

She points out that the tourism and restaurant industry in particular is lagging behind.

“These are industries that we know most low-income families work in, and when their unemployment benefit is cut, and they struggle to get a full-time job, it will undermine their ability to pay off debt, as well as their current rent,” he says.

– So we are also worried about what will happen in six months.

had to sell

On the other hand, the situation has negatively affected many homeowners. Recently, there has been a sharp increase in the number of those forced to sell, according to attorney John McDermott of the National Condominium Association.

– They had a mortgage and didn’t get rent, so they stopped their losses and said, “Well, I’m out of this industry,” he says.

The Homeowners Organization has sued health authorities over the eviction ban, which they believe has devastated the rental industry. But McDermott notes that most of its members have cooperated with tenants, for example, in lowering rents.

This is also the impression of Associate Professor Carolina Reed.

The biggest concern is landlords who don’t have such a positive relationship with their tenants, she says.

For example, those who own buildings that are rent-locked to the tenant may see an opportunity to increase profits now.

“If we don’t see an intensification of the work of providing financial support directly to tenants and landlords, I think we will see an increase in evictions over the next three to six months,” Reed says.

Jasmine Romero and Marcus Cote are among all those who have not even applied for public housing benefits. Like many others, they knew nothing of the scheme, and had little confidence in giving them priority.

They don’t know yet how they will cover the rental debt.

We also have unpaid electricity bills, says Koot.

In the hallway of their apartment are boxes stacked with food that the youngest daughter passes through a tube into her stomach.

Romero points out that the situation for the seven-year-old would make it more difficult if he was left without a permanent home.

– If they kick us out, I’m very worried about her condition.