Posted September 23, 20204:56 pm
Written by Sam Allard in Cleveland Scene on 09/23/2020.
In early September, a spokesperson for the Cleveland Housing Court told Scene that the court's legal team was "working to interpret" the recent federal moratorium on evictions issued by the Center for Disease Control.
That moratorium, issued Sept. 1, should be in effect through the end of the year, but housing advocates have worried that because the order was issued with no prior warning, additional direction was needed from local and state governments.
The moratorium was criticized on other grounds as well. The president of the National Low Income Housing Coalition called it a "half-measure" that merely extends "a financial cliff for renters to fall off of when the moratorium expires and back rent is owed."
According to the CDC, the order was issued to prevent the spread of Covid-19, especially in shelters where mass evictions could lead to overcrowding. But in communities across the country, renters and landlords are still scrambling to understand what it means for them.
In Cleveland, housing court judge Mona Scott recognized the need to provide clarity. She has organized a panel to explain the confusing situation and how her court will proceed. Scott will be joined Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. by her leadership team on the court; Colleen Cotter, the executive director of the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland; Kevin Nowak, executive director of CHN Housing Partners; and Ayonna Blue Donald, Director of the Cleveland Department of Building and Housing. The panel will be moderated by Cleveland.com columnist Leila Atassi.
Those interested in the panel can register online — see the flyer above — or watch on Facebook Live.