EVICTIONS MEANT TO CURB THE
SPREAD OF COVID-19 IS SET TO
EXPIRE TOMORROW.
SOME ARE PREDICTING A TIDE
ALWAVE OF EVICTIONS.
OTHERS SAY FEDERAL PANDEMIC
RELIEF DOLLARS ARE HELPING
ENSURE THAT WON'T HAPPEN.
MARISA WOJCIK EXPLORES THE
IMPACT OF THE END OF THE
MORATORIUM WITH THIS STORY FROM
GREEN BAY.
>> AND THEY WERE GOING TO PAY IT
ALL OFF.
AND HE STILL EVICTED ME.
>> IT WAS ONE YEAR AGO, ON HER
DAUGHTER'S BIRTHDAY.
>> AND HE'S LIKE I'M GIVING YOU
UNTIL THE 31ST TO GET OUT.
THAT'S MY DAUGHTER'S BIRTHDAY,
HER 16TH BIRTHDAY.
WE HAD NO PLACE TO GO.
>> 41-YEAR-OLD DANIELLE KASEE
SAID THE RENT CHECK WAS PUT IN
THE LANDLORD'S MAILBOX.
BUT THE LANDLORD CLAIMED HE
DIDN'T GET IT.
DANIELLE AND HER FOUR CHILDREN
LOST THEIR HOUSING ON JULY 31,
2020.
>> WHEN WE MOVED IN HERE, WE
WERE HOMELESS.
WE WERE STAYING AT FRIENDS'
HOUSES.
WE STAYED AT THE FREEDOM HOUSE
FOR A COUPLE MONTHS.
>> THE EVICTION BAN WENT FROM
MARCH TO MAY OF 2020.
IN SEPTEMBER, THE CDC ENACTED A
FEDERAL EVICTION MORATORIUM TO
HELP CURB THE RISE IN COVID-19
CASES.
TENANTS COULD NOT BE EVICTED.
THAT MORATORIUM IS SET TO EXPIRE
JULY 31 AND MANY ARE WORRIED
ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES.
DANIELLE WAS EVICTED DURING A
THREE M-MONTH GAP AND BY THE TIE
THE C DC ENACTED ITS BAN, SHE
FOUND HERSELF IN A HOMELESSNESS
PURGATORY.
>> THERE'S NO PLACES WHERE --
YOU KNOW, RENTING OUT BECAUSE
THEY COULDN'T EVICT EVERYBODY
BECAUSE OF THAT BEING IN PLACE.
SO I COULDN'T FIND A DECENT
PLACE FOR WHAT I COULD AFFORD.
>> AND AN EVICTION ON HER RECORD
MADE IT EVEN HARDER.
BUT WITH ALLIES ON HER SIDE LIKE
THE NORTHEAST WISCONSIN
COMMUNITY PROGRAM OR NEWCAP SHE
HAD A BETTER JOB OF FINDING AN
APARTMENT AND WORKING WITH A NEW
LANDLORD.
NEWCAP SUPPORTED HER WHERE IT
MATTERS MOST: WITH RENT.
AFTER SHE LEFT HER JOB DUE TO
COVID-19 SAFETY CONCERNS.
>> NEWCAP WAS LIKE WE'RE HERE,
YOU KNOW.
LIKE WE'RE GOING TO HELP HER.
GUYS LIKE FELT SO RELIEVED.
>> DANIELLE IS ONE OF THOUSANDS
OF RENTERS ACROSS THE STATE
GETTING RENT RELIEF FROM THE
WISCONSIN EMERGENCY RENTAL
ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, OR WERA.
DISTRIBUTED THROUGH COMMUNITY
ACTION PROGRAMS, PROVIDING A NEW
FINANCIAL SAFETY NET TO TENANTS
AND THEIR LANDLORDS.
>> WELL, OF COURSE WE SAW THINGS
ON THE TV ABOUT, YOU KNOW, IT
KIND OF ALMOST NATIONALLY BEING
ANNOUNCED THAT RENTERS WOULD
SOMEHOW NOT HAVE TO PAY THEIR
RENT.
>> JOE DEKEYSER IS A LANDLORD TO
NINE HOUSEHOLDS IN GREEN BAY,
SOME OF WHICH WERE NOT IMMUNE TO
THE HARDSHIPS OF THE PANDEMIC.
UNABLE TO PAY RENT, THEY TURNED
TO NEWCAP FOR HELP.
>> I WAS -- I WAS KIND OF
ACTUALLY SURPRISED BY IT, THAT
THESE ORGANIZATIONS WERE JUST
LIKE, OH, YEAH, WE'RE WILLING TO
HELP YOU AND NO PROBLEM AND THE
PAYMENT'S COMING RIGHT TO YOU.
IT MIGHT BE TWO WEEKS OR SO.
AND IT ALL WORKED OUT.
>> THREE ROUNDS OF RENTAL
ASSISTANCE HAVE BEEN DESIGNATED
TO HELP KEEP RE RENTERS' HOUSING
STABLE DURING THE PANDEMIC.
MORE THAN 720 MILLION IN RENTAL
ASSISTANCE WILL COME TO
WISCONSIN THROUGH 2025.
TO DATE, MORE THAN $74 MILLION
OF THAT HAS GONE TO HELP 26,000
HOUSEHOLDS ACROSS THE STATE.
AND BECAUSE THESE FUNDS WILL BE
AVAILABLE FAR BEYOND THE
MORATORIUM, SOME ARE NOT
PREDICTING A TIDAL WAVE OF
EVICTIONS ONCE THE BAN IS
LIFTED.
>> YOU CAN MOVE NO ONE FROM
POVERTY.
YOU CAN MOVE NO ONE FROM A BAD
ECONOMIC SITUATION TO A BETTER
ONE.
YOU CAN GET NO ONE TRAINED AND
GET THEM INTO A JOB IF YOU DON'T
FIRST HAVE THEM HOUSED.
>> CHERYL DETRICK IS PRESIDENT
AND CEO OF NEWCAP, WHICH
OPERATES IN TEN COUNTIES IN
NORTHEAST WISCONSIN.
WHILE COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAMS
PROVIDE A NUMBER OF SERVICES,
PRIORITIZED BY LOCAL COMMUNITY
NEEDS, ONE ISSUE IS AT THE TOP
OF EVERYONE'S LIST: AFFORDABLE
HOUSING.
>> AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS AND
WILL BE FOR THE NEXT DECADE THE
BIGGEST PROBLEM WE HAVE TO
OVERCOME.
NO PLACE IN THE UNITED STATES
WHERE TWO PEOPLE WORKING MINIMUM
WAGE CAN AFFORD A TWO-BEDROOM
APARTMENT.
>> BUT THE EDGE OF THE CLIFF IS
SHIFTING.
AND IT'S NOT JUST THE LOWEST
INCOME EARNERS NEEDING HELP.
>> WE'RE ALSO SERVING PEOPLE
BETWEEN 60% AND 80% OF COUNTY
MEDIAN INCOME.
IN BROWN COUNTY FOR A SINGLE
PERSON THAT'S ABOUT $44,000.
SO WE'RE SEEING THIS ENTIRELY
DIFFERENT DEMOGRAPHIC OF PEOPLE.
>> ON ONE SIDE, THE COST OF
LIVING KEEPS GOING UP.
ON THE OTHER SIDE, INCOME,
ESPECIALLY THOSE AT THE BOTTOM,
ARE STAGNANT.
>> THERE IS A FUNDAMENTAL
FORWARDABILITY PROBLEM, LACK OF
AVAILABLE UNITS.
ALL OF THESE THINGS PREDATE THE
PANDEMIC.
BUT RIGHT NOW THE NEED IS TO
MEET PEOPLE'S EMERGENCY NEEDS
AND GET THEM STABILIZED WHILE WE
FIGURE OUT LONGER-TERM
SOLUTIONS.
>> A HOUSING LAWYER IN GREEN BAY
WITH LEGAL ACTION WISCONSIN
PROVIDES COUNSEL TO AS MANY
TENANTS FACING EVICTION AS
POSSIBLE.
HE IS EXPECTING TO BE A LOT
BUSIER AFTER JULY 31.
>> WE EXPECT TO BE VERY
OVERWHELMED.
WE'RE ALREADY GETTING AN
INCREASE IN CALLS.
>> NO ONE KNOWS FOR SURE WHAT
EVICTION NUMBERS WILL LOOK LIKE
WHEN THE MORATORIUM EXPIRES.
FILINGS FELL TO 19,429 IN 2020,
WITH THE MORATORIUM IN PLACE.
THAT'S DOWN FROM 27,026 FILED IN
2019.
THE FAST PACE OF EVICTIONS WAS
FORCED TO SLOW DOWN AND
EVICTIONS COULD BE SEEN THROUGH
A NEW LENS.
>> IT WOULD BE VERY BENEFICIAL
FROM WHERE I SIT TO HAVE THE
MORATORIUM EXTENDED,
PARTICULARLY BECAUSE THERE IS A
SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY IN
THE HOUSING SYSTEM RIGHT NOW
THAT CAN HELP STABILIZE PEOPLE.
AGAIN, THAT HELPS LANDLORDS,
TOO.
>> EVEN BEFORE THE PANDEMIC,
LANDLORD JOE DEKEYSER HAS WORKED
WITH TENANTS WHO MAY HAVE A PAST
EVICTION ON THEIR RECORD OR WHO
STRUGGLE FINANCIALLY.
>> THEY WERE WILLING TO IMPROVE
ON THAT AND HAVE A BETTER
QUALITY OF LIFE AND FOR ME TO
GIVE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY AS A
STARTING BASE IT MEANT A LOT
THAT THEY COULD BUILD FROM THAT
AND HAVE SOME STABILITY.
>> A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE AND
STABILITY IS WHAT DANIELLE IS
WORKING TOWARDS.
AND THIS YEAR INSTEAD OF
WORRYING ABOUT THE EVICTION
MORATORIUM EXPIRING ON JULY 31,
SHE WOULD RATHER MAKE UP FOR HER
DAUGHTER'S MISSED BIRTHDAY
EXACTLY ONE YEAR AGO WHEN THEY
WERE EVICTED.
>> AND I FELT SO BAD, YOU KNOW?
SO THIS YEAR I HAVE A SURPRISE
FOR HER.
SO SHE'S GOING TO GO AND HAVE A
BONFIRE AT HER FRIEND'S AT MY
DAUGHTER'S HOUSE ON SUNDAY.
I HAVE SOMETHING NICE PLANNED
FOR HER, SO...
>> FOR "HERE AND NOW," I'M
MARISA WOJCIK IN GREEN BAY.