Today, the White House hosted a second virtual convening to help cities quickly deliver emergency rental assistance and develop plans to prevent evictions. The convening highlighted actions taken by cities since the first summit on June 30th and is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s broader efforts to ensure state and local governments disburse the more than $46 billion dollars in Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) made available to them to assist households in need. Today, Treasury released new data on the ERA program, which showed that more than $1.5 billion in assistance was delivered to eligible households in the month of June—more than what was provided in the previous three reporting periods combined. The number of households served in June grew by about 85 percent over the previous month and nearly tripled since April.
White House American Rescue Plan Coordinator Gene Sperling opened today’s convening, reaffirming the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to do everything it can to make sure cities and states provide relief to renters and landlords as the CDC’s eviction moratorium comes to an end on July 31st. Sperling stressed that the Administration has provided new flexibilities to get emergency rental assistance out and that this is the time for state and local officials to step up and not hide behind being overly cautious or conservative. Officials from the Department of Treasury then shared best practices and responded to frequently asked questions about the ERA program and updated guidance. Speakers from across the country discussed case studies and best practices on topics such as culturally and linguistically relevant outreach and ways to improve the delivery of rental assistance programs. The convening also featured panels focused on how mayors, judges, and philanthropy can champion local efforts to prevent evictions, as well as strategies for community and landlord engagement.
Today’s convening builds upon the June 30th White House Eviction Prevention Summit which brought together teams from 46 cities to commit to take swift action to prevent evictions in their jurisdictions.
Public officials speaking at the second convening included:
- Mayor Tom Barrett, City of Milwaukee
- Mayor Greg Fischer, City of Louisville
- Judge Brendan Murphy, Chief Magistrate, Cobb County (GA)
- Judge Rachel L. Bell, Presiding Judge, General Sessions Court, Division VIII, Davidson County (TN)
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