For Planning Purposes Only
May 12, 2020
Contact: Derrick Crowe, d.crowe@peoplesaction.org, 512.516.5067
NATIONWIDE–As House Democrats finalize their HEROES Act, the latest legislation intended to provide relief during the COVID19 crisis, they must include provisions to cancel rent and mortgage payments for the duration of the crisis instead of providing one-time rental assistance. People’s Action’s Tara Raghuveer will lead an online press conference on Tuesday to describe why rent cancellation is required to provide the needed relief and what distinguishes it from rental assistance. Raghuveer will be joined by renters in People’s Action’s national network to describe the hardship created by this economic crisis and their desire for Congress to cancel rent.
Who: Tara Raghuveer, People’s Action’s Homes Guarantee Campaign Director; Tiana Caldwell, KC Tenants; Rose Fernandez, Community Voices Heard; Thomas Silverstein, The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
What: Zoom press call on the need to cancel rent during COVID19 crisis
When: Thursday, May 14, at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time.
Where: Register in advance:
https://peoplesaction.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIkcuCtqz4jEtRBFRaGAYaEzQc0tw6uSzP2
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.
Why: While some policymakers have proposed merely upping funding for traditional rental assistance, that approach would fail to meet the scale of the crisis. Instead of one-time rental assistance, Congress should cancel rent and mortgage payments for the duration of the crisis. H.R. 6515, introduced by U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., in the House, provides the best hope for renter relief during this crisis and should be included in the upcoming relief legislation being crafted in the House.
For more information, visit https://homesguarantee.com.
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