Editorial: Real solution needed for evictions

You can’t shelter in place if you don’t have a place to shelter.

That’s the crux of the rental and foreclosure problem amid the coronavirus pandemic.

When Pennsylvania went into covid-19 lockdowns back in March, Gov. Tom Wolf put a moratorium in place on evictions, providing cover for renters and homeowners whose ability to pay for their housing would be put in jeopardy by being unable to work.

Pennsylvania has phased down those quarantines and many have gone back to work, but the balance is precarious. Restaurants and bars in Allegheny County reopened in early June. But when infections spiked last week, the county shut down on-site service, later allowing for outdoor seating. Other businesses in Allegheny and Westmoreland opened but closed doors with staff cases reported.

All of that makes for some pretty iffy paychecks, and uncertain income means it can be hard to make payments on rent or mortgages, often the highest bill a household has each month. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, median rent payments in Pennsylvania are $915. Payments for mortgage owners average around $1,000.

On Thursday, Wolf extended the moratorium through Aug. 31. That gives a little more breathing room to people feeling eviction breathing down their necks.

But is it enough?

Kicking the can delays the problem, and there is no telling how long the pandemic road will be.

The eviction issue doesn’t need to keep being delayed. It needs to be actually addressed. That doesn’t mean that the government should pay the bills, or that it should leave landlords and mortgage companies unpaid. It means that resolving the problem needs more than hitting a pause button.

Renters who can’t make their payments can fall deeper in the hole each month, facing a shock when the moratorium is eventually lifted. If they don’t have one payment in July, they are unlikely to have three come Sept. 1.

The state did open $175 million in mortgage and rental assistance for application on Monday, and that is great. But people need more than a checkbook. They need a framework to help them make their own payments when they are able to, and landlords and mortgage companies need that reassurance.

Eviction isn’t something anyone wants. It’s expensive and complicated for the evictors. For the evictee, it’s traumatic and disruptive, often instigating a cycle of despair. The last thing the state needs in the aftermath of a pandemic is a housing crisis.

So why can’t a real solution be found instead of just kicking that can?