Millions of Americans at risk of homelessness as aid talks collapse in Washington

Tens of millions of Americans are at risk of homelessness as an impasse in Washington over the coronavirus stimulus package has left renters seriously vulnerable.

Tens of millions of Americans are at risk of homelessness as an impasse in Washington over the coronavirus stimulus package has left renters seriously vulnerable.

According to a report released by the Aspen Institute, as many as 40 million Americans could be at risk of eviction over the next several months.

“Renters experiencing financial hardship as COVID-19 have exhausted their resources and limited funds just as eviction moratoriums and emergency relief across the United States expire,” said the report.

“Without intervention, the housing crisis will result in significant harm to renters and property owners,” it added.

When the coronavirus began to spread across the US, congress passed the $2.2 trillion CARES Act, which included an eviction freeze that protected about 12 million renters in federally backed properties.

But that moratorium expired at the end of July.

“The vast majority of states lack protective eviction moratoriums and housing stabilization measures that could support renters facing rent hardship,” the report said.

Weekly census data shows that more than 30 percent of renters in the United States have no or “slight” confidence in their ability to pay rent next month.

The housing crisis is “already a tsunami,” said Bambie Hayes-Brown of Georgia Advancing Communities Together, a coalition of nonprofit housing and community development groups.