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WHEREAS, Pennsylvania’s eviction and foreclosure moratorium is slated to expire on July 10, 2020; and
WHEREAS, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, passed by the federal government in March, allocated approximately $3.9 billion to Pennsylvania to provide economic relief to residents during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic; and
WHEREAS, of that funding, $175 million was apportioned by the state’s General Assembly in May to the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) to be used for rental and mortgage assistance for those in financial need facing housing instability, with $150 million going toward the former and the remaining $25 million earmarked for the latter; and
WHEREAS, although funding provided through the CARES Act must be fully utilized before November 30, 2020, it’s widely accepted that the available funding will be fully exhausted long before that date because of the sheer demand and need for financial assistance; and
WHEREAS, applications for the PHFA’s CARES Rent Relief and Pandemic Mortgage Assistance Programs became available on June 29, but can’t be submitted until July 6, just days before the expiration of the statewide eviction and foreclosure moratorium; and
WHEREAS, on July 1, Pennsylvania State Senators Jay Costa, Vincent Hughes, Andrew Dinniman, Anthony Williams, Wayne Fontana, Pam Iovino, Lawrence Farnese, John Blake, Katie Muth, Judith Schwank, Lisa Boscola, Steve Santarsiero, Maria Collett, Christine Tartaglione, Lindsey Williams, Art Haywood, James Brewster, Tim Kearney, John Sabatina, and Sharif Street authored a letter to Governor Tom Wolf in which they appealed for an extension of the eviction and foreclosure moratorium until at least August 31, 2020; and
WHEREAS, in doing so, the Senators rightfully call for additional time during which renters and homeowners will receive protection under the moratorium so that Rent Relief and Pandemic Mortgage Assistance Programs payment distributions made by the PHFA can be received by those in need while still shielded from eviction or foreclosure; and
WHEREAS, because of the extremely small overlap between the submission date for the PHFA’s Rent Relief and Pandemic Mortgage Assistance Programs and the expiration of the current eviction and foreclosure moratorium, any administrative processing or distribution delays could lead to the beginning of eviction or foreclosure proceedings in Pennsylvania before an applicant’s actual receipt of PHFA CARES assistance; and
WHEREAS, while the PHFA CARES assistance programs will meet some of the extant needs of renters and homeowners during the Covid-19 pandemic, extending the eviction and foreclosure moratorium in Pennsylvania will also have the effect of protecting those confronting housing instability for a longer duration, during which time lawmakers at all levels of government should continue to make resources available for those in need.
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh hereby calls on Governor Tom Wolf to extend Pennsylvania’s eviction and foreclosure moratorium until at least August 31, 2020, so as to allow for the receipt of financial aid through the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency’s Rent Relief and Pandemic Mortgage Assistance Programs; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh supports the efforts of Pennsylvania State Senators Jay Costa, Vincent Hughes, Andrew Dinniman, Anthony Williams, Wayne Fontana, Pam Iovino, Lawrence Farnese, John Blake, Katie Muth, Judith Schwank, Lisa Boscola, Steve Santarsiero, Maria Collett, Christine Tartaglione, Lindsey Williams, Art Haywood, James Brewster, Tim Kearney, John Sabatina, and Sharif Street to see the statewide eviction and foreclosure moratorium extended.