The eviction moratorium is about to expire – and the situation is dire | Emily Benfer and Peter Hepburn

Over 10 million tenants are behind on rent, and only a fraction of the emergency assistance allocated by Congress has made it to tenants and landlords

At the end of this week, the federal moratorium protecting renters in the US from eviction will end. As the Delta variant of Covid-19 spreads quickly across the country, and with vaccination rates still low in many areas at highest risk of eviction, millions of families could lose the safe haven of their homes. A surge in evictions will have dire public health consequences, but it could still be avoided.

Originally enacted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) eleven months ago, the eviction moratorium was established to prevent the spread of the virus among families and individuals that could be made homeless. As a public health measure, the moratorium was unprecedented and offered uniform protections to renters across the country.