The national eviction moratorium keeping countless Coloradans housed during the pandemic is now in question after a federal judge ruled Wednesday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention overstepped its authority. A federal judge ruled in the case of the Alabama Association of Realtors v. the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that […]
evictions
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Colorado leaders must enact lasting reform to prevent evictions and promote an equitable recovery
Many Coloradans who are still struggling to make ends meet due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic were relieved when the latest $1.9 trillion federal stimulus package was signed. Individual stimulus checks, however small, will help to keep a roof overhead, and millions of federal dollars in rental assistance will keep landlords solvent and […]
Posted inBusiness, Economy, News
Colorado faces a 20,000-applicant backlog in requests for rent help as federal eviction ban is extended
Renters struggling to stay in their homes got a three-month reprieve as the federal ban on evictions was extended until June 30. And they just may need it as Colorado’s rent-assistance program is now under new rules that could delay how fast money is being distributed. “Unfortunately, at times, bureaucracy moves slower than the courts […]
Posted inBusiness, Economy, News
Colorado’s mortgage relief program will pause after funds are used up
Colorado’s housing assistance program, which has provided $58.9 million in rent or mortgage help during the pandemic, will be placed on hold starting Friday as it waits for new federal funds to aid struggling homeowners, according to the state Department of Local Affairs. The rent-assistance programs, however, will continue under a different name in order […]
Posted inBusiness, Economy, News
Colorado sees record $55 million in rent assistance requests in past month — more than all of 2020
A record number of applications seeking help with monthly rent or mortgage payments flooded Colorado’s rent-assistance programs in January after a state eviction moratorium ended. More than $55 million was requested between Jan. 4 and Feb. 8, which was more than all of 2020, according to data from the state Division of Housing. But the […]
Posted inBusiness, Housing, News, Politics and Government
Two paychecks from eviction: Coronavirus shined a light on Colorado housing instability
Before the coronavirus pandemic, and before an economic crisis that pushed unemployment to historic levels, Colorado policymakers were already working on plans to equalize the power between landlords and tenants. Back in 2019, what was dubbed the “year of the renter,” a slate of Democrat-backed bills at the statehouse never materialized. A few new laws […]
Posted inBusiness, Economy, Housing, News
A national eviction ban will help Colorado renters stay housed until March 31, but there are asterisks
State’s rental assistance programs receive $247 million in federal aid. Tenants can now apply for three months of future rent, which has property owners saying there’s no need for moratoriums.
Posted inBusiness, COVID, Economy, News, Politics and Government
As 2020 winds down, renter programs get more money as Colorado’s state eviction moratorium is set to end
Struggling renters get one more month to figure out how to pay their rent, thanks to an extension of the national eviction moratorium in the new federal COVID-19 relief bill. There’s also a new pot of federal money headed to Colorado just for rental assistance in the $908 billion Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations […]
Posted inBusiness, Economy, News, Politics and Government
Unemployed Coloradans won’t see federal jobless aid for weeks despite Trump signing coronavirus relief bill
Linda Madigan felt relieved on Monday, a day after the $908 billion federal COVID-19 aid package was finally signed following a week of protest by the president. But she knows it could be several weeks before she and some 280,000 other Coloradans receive a cent in extended unemployment aid because the Colorado Department of Labor […]
Posted inBusiness, Economy
What’s Working: Colorado resources for the unemployed, those in need or those who’d like to support them
It was another roller coaster week for unemployed America that saw hope as the week began after Congress agreed to extend jobless benefits into the new year but then came to a screeching halt. Those benefits went from an extra 16 weeks down to 11, but the agreement on the new federal relief bill granted […]