The pandemic-related national moratorium on evictions expires today, July 31, 2021. As a result, Bucks County families that have fallen behind on their rent are in danger of losing their homes. Sema K. Sgaier and Aaron Dibner-Dunlap addressed our looming eviction crisis for The New York Times.
Nationwide, more than six million people are now under threat of eviction, with an estimated $23 billion in outstanding rent debt overall — that’s $3,800 per household.
In Bucks County, 13.7 percent of renting households are behind in landlord payments, lower than the national statistics.
But our hole is deeper. Bucks County renters are in arrears for an average of $4,564, nearly $1,000 above fellow U.S. lessees.
The shortfall is among the highest in the nation.
While the scope of the oncoming eviction crisis could be reduced with help from almost $50 billion in federal Emergency Rental Assistance funds, the rollout has proven to be slow and complicated. Housing economists fear that it will aid only a small fraction of those who need it the most.
In addition to the federal program, rental assistance is available from both the county and the state.
Read more about the eviction crisis in The New York Times.