The Coming Eviction Crisis Will Be Worse Than You Think

When Gov. Charlie Baker signed the statewide eviction and foreclosure moratorium in late April, it was an approval with an asterisk: The freeze would lift 45 days after the COVID-19 state of emergency ended or 120 days from the date the bill was passed, whichever came first. There’s no predicted end to the pandemic in sight, but the sand in the 120-day hourglass is set to run out on August 18. And, housing courts estimate, some 20,000 evictions will be filed in Boston that day.

From April to June, polling data from MassINC revealed that nearly 30% of Massachusetts renters missed a partial or entire rent payment, and only 21% of them say they are likely to be able to make up that money by the time the moratorium ends. After July 31, those on unemployment will stop receiving the $600 booster that the CARES Act contributed. As we creep closer to a crisis fueled by dwindling funds, continued unemployment, and not enough time, legislators and housing advocates say that a tidal wave of displacement in August would not only result in a surge of homelessness, but likely in coronavirus infections. Given that the state is still under a safer-at-home advisory to prevent the spread of the virus, unhousing thousands of residents at once could quickly unflatten the curve. “The consequences will likely be new surges of infection, increased displacement, further destruction of neighborhoods, and increased numbers of people experiencing homelessness,” wrote State Rep. Mike Connolly in a blog detailing his bill to extend the moratorium for a year.