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The CDC moratorium has stopped less than 10% of eviction cases in Houston since the order went into effect. https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/city-of-houston/2020/12/20/388131/the-cdc-eviction-moratorium-has-stopped-less-than-10-percent-of-cases/
While Congress weighs extending the CDC moratorium, it's unclear what limited impact that could have for people on the edge of eviction in Houston.
The order *hasn't stopped* 9,386 out of 10,383 cases heard in Harris County since it went into effect (data from @januaryadvisors)
The order *hasn't stopped* 9,386 out of 10,383 cases heard in Harris County since it went into effect (data from @januaryadvisors)
Are landlords filing fewer evictions with the CDC moratorium in effect, though? No. Actually, numbers are up. In Harris County, landlords filed 6,814 evictions in the three months before the order went into effect on 9/4, compared to 7,230 in the past three months.
Judge Lincoln Goodwin — one of 16 Justices of the Peace in Harris County — regularly calls 60-70 eviction cases at the same time, making social distancing impossible. He doesn't wear a face mask in the courtroom. Unlike other judges, he doesn't livestream his court.
Austin -- with a ban on almost all filings, plus a grace period giving renters more time to catch up -- has had about 725 eviction cases since the pandemic started, compared to more than 18,000 eviction cases in Houston, where Mayor Turner has not passed emergency protections.
Mayors office says "Mayor Turner is doing all he can at this time.”
He asked the Texas Supreme Court to halt evictions for 90 days.
"That's the bare minimum, to be clear," Celesté Arredondo-Peterson with the Texas Organizing Project says. "He's not a hero for writing a letter."
He asked the Texas Supreme Court to halt evictions for 90 days.
"That's the bare minimum, to be clear," Celesté Arredondo-Peterson with the Texas Organizing Project says. "He's not a hero for writing a letter."
"Turner has been a lackluster Democratic mayor and the fact that he gets to ride nationally as a progressive is laughable and disturbing," Arredondo-Peterson says.
Houston City Council Housing Committee chair Tiffany Thomas declined an interview about whether council has considered a local ban on eviction filings like Austin's.
While local officials point to the state Supreme Court for an eviction moratorium, Chief Justice Nathan Hecht points to the governor:
"We have not consulted with health officials. I think we would see that as more the executive branch's responsibility."
"We have not consulted with health officials. I think we would see that as more the executive branch's responsibility."
Chief Justice Hecht told me the court hasn't stopped evictions since May because he believed it was up to others to address the issue:
"The reason that there's not a statewide moratorium is that we continue to rely on the federal moratoria and local jurisdictions."
"The reason that there's not a statewide moratorium is that we continue to rely on the federal moratoria and local jurisdictions."
Chief Justice Hecht told me he hasn't seen the national study that found Texas could have prevented about 4,500 COVID deaths if the state court hadn't lifted its moratorium back in May, but he said it "sounds pretty out of line." https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/national/2020/12/02/387151/these-are-deaths-that-could-have-been-prevented-says-researcher-studying-evictions/
The state diversion program only helps *after* an eviction case is filed, Dana Karni with Lone Star Legal Aid said.
"To require litigation filing and then to call that a diversion program is a farce. That's not a diversion program — that's an invitation to litigation program."
"To require litigation filing and then to call that a diversion program is a farce. That's not a diversion program — that's an invitation to litigation program."
Meanwhile, less than half of Harris County rent relief funding had been claimed as of last week, @elizTrovall reported. Because of the way the program was designed, most of the money has only been available to renters whose landlords agree to participate. https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/houston/2020/12/11/387638/26-million-of-harris-county-rent-relief-is-leftover-despite-hundreds-of-weekly-eviction-hearings/
In response to the pandemic, Harris County approved funding for eviction legal defense. But so far, that money is still in limbo, Dana Karni with Lone Star Legal Aid said:
"Not a single penny that I'm aware of has gone towards funding legal representation."
"Not a single penny that I'm aware of has gone towards funding legal representation."
