After eleven months the federal moritorium on residential evictions is ending. Millions will be evicted in the next few months, Many families will become homeless. The moritorium which was instituted under the "Conservative" Trump administration ends during the "Liberal" Biden administraton. How Ironic.

While it was a good idea in the beginning, the true problem was never addressed. Those families who couldn't afford to pay their rent last September, not only weren't able to pay their rent in subsequent months, and now owe their landlords thousands of dollars that they probably don't have. Unless they live in a state that still has it's own moritorium in effect. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has estimated that about 16% of U.S. households are behind on rent.

Many of those face an immediate physical ejection from their homes. In some jurisdictions, courts have allowed eviction cases to proceed even while the federal moratorium has been in place.

The federal government in it's infinite wisdom and through two administrations instead of fixing a problem just kicked the can down the road. The root issue is that landlords have been unable (and will remain unable) to collect the rent that has been contracturally owed to them. After they adjudicated an eviction and have ejected a tennant. The debit incurred has not been foregiven. Somebody (the tennant?, the state government?, the federal government?) still is obligated to pay the back rent. A good case can be made that the federal government (which got in their and mucked up contractural law) is on the hook. I'm sure we will find out through court proceedings in the next months.

Meanwhile the now evicted former renters have now where to live, and the landlords don't have the money owed to them. This is a lose..lose situation. And it was created on a bi-partisan basis.

With 20/20 hindsight the federal government should have been paying rent for those people all along. Each household in the United States has been sent thousands of dollars during the pandemic, but there was no provision requiring ren payments nor were there any provisions to pay landlords directly.